capture

[ kap-cher ]

/ ˈkæp tʃər /

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verb (used with object), cap·tured, cap·tur·ing.

to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize: The police captured the burglar.

to gain control of or exert influence over: an ad that captured our attention; a TV show that captured 30% of the prime-time audience.

to take possession of, as in a game or contest: to capture a pawn in chess.

to represent or record in lasting form: The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.

Computers.

to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.
to record (data) in preparation for such entry.

noun

the act of capturing.

the thing or person captured.

Physics. the process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle.

Crystallography. substitution in a crystal lattice of a trace element for an element of lower valence.

Nearby words

captive audience, captive market, captivity, captopril, captor, capture, capture beat, captured rotation, capua, capuana, capuche

Origin of capture

1535–45; < Middle French < Latin captūra, equivalent to capt(us) taken (past participle of capere to take) + -ūra -ure

SYNONYMS FOR capture

1 catch, arrest, snare, apprehend, grab, nab.

6 seizure, arrest, apprehension.

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ANTONYMS FOR capture

1, 6 release.

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Related forms

cap·tur·a·ble, adjectivecap·tur·er, nounpre·cap·ture, adjective, verb (used with object), pre·cap·tured, pre·cap·tur·ing.un·cap·tur·a·ble, adjective

un·cap·tured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for captures

He captures all the different issues a president deals with and moves from one to the next.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Then I read aloud from something that captures the Holiday Spirit.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He captures Ramone and his second wife, Barbara, together in the studio in one photo, him on bass, her on guitar.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings|Melissa Leon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one doubts that these comedians will be killed if ISIS captures them.
Middle East Goes Monty Python on ISIS|Dean Obeidallah|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Amanda Reiman, policy manager for the California branch of the Drug Policy Alliance, captures the complex research problem well.
Another Hazy Week For Weed|Abby Haglage|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We held our ground and captures until General Davies came to our relief, which he did very promptly.
Some Personal Reminiscences of Service in the Cavalry of the Army of the Potomac|Hampton Sidney Thomas
It became useful to the pirates, however, mainly from its being a safe place at which to dispose of their captures.
The West Indies and the Spanish Main [1899]|James Rodway
It is the usual custom of anglers, I believe, to view their captures through magnifying-glasses before discoursing upon them.
Photographic Amusements, Ninth Edition|Walter E. Woodbury and Frank R. Fraprie
In other words she had not been sent for before, and he had therefore been enticed, as one captures singing-birds.
Fair Haven and Foul Strand|August Strindberg
Man commonly begs the question again taking for granted that he captures the forces.
The Education of Henry Adams|Henry Adams

British Dictionary definitions for captures

capture

/ (ˈkæptʃə) /

verb (tr)

to take prisoner or gain control overto capture an enemy; to capture a town

(in a game or contest) to win control or possession ofto capture a pawn in chess

to succeed in representing or describing (something elusive)the artist captured her likeness

physics (of an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus) to acquire (an additional particle)

to insert or transfer (data) into a computer

noun

the act of taking by force; seizure

the person or thing captured; booty

physics a process by which an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus acquires an additional particle

Also called: piracy geography the process by which the headwaters of one river are diverted into another through erosion caused by the second river's tributaries

the act or process of inserting or transferring data into a computer

Derived Formscapturer, noun

Word Origin for capture

C16: from Latin captūra a catching, that which is caught, from capere to take

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for captures (1 of 2)

capture

1795, from capture (n.); in chess, checkers, etc., 1820. Related: Captured; capturing. Earlier verb in this sense was captive (early 15c.).

Word Origin and History for captures (1 of 2)

capture

1540s, from Middle French capture "a taking," from Latin captura "a taking" (especially of animals), from captus (see captive).

capture

verb (used with object), cap·tured, cap·tur·ing.

noun

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verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for capture

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capture

Word Origin and History for captures (1 of 2)

capture

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capture

n.

British Dictionary definitions for captures