capture

American  

[kap-cher] / ˈkæp tʃər /

verb (used with object)

• captures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• captured,
  past participle,  past
• capturing
  present participle

1. to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize.

   The police captured the burglar.

   Synonyms:

   nab, grab, apprehend, snare, arrest, catch

   Antonyms:

   release

2. 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.

3. to take possession of, as in a game or contest.

   to capture a pawn in chess.

4. to represent or record in lasting form.

   The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.

5. Computers.

   1. to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.

   2. to record (data) in preparation for such entry.

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noun

• captures
  plural

1. the act of capturing.

   Synonyms:

   apprehension, arrest, seizure

   Antonyms:

   release

2. the thing or person captured.

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

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

capture British  

/ ˈkæptʃə /

verb

1. to take prisoner or gain control over

   to capture an enemy

   to capture a town

2. (in a game or contest) to win control or possession of

   to capture a pawn in chess

3. to succeed in representing or describing (something elusive)

   the artist captured her likeness

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

5. to insert or transfer (data) into a computer

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noun

1. the act of taking by force; seizure

2. the person or thing captured; booty

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

4. 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

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• capturer
  noun
• capturable
  adjective
• precapture
  adjective
• uncapturable
  adjective
• uncaptured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• captures
  plural

Participles

• capturing
  present
• captured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• capture
  simple
• captures
  simple
• have captured
  perfect
• has captured
  perfect
• am capturing
  progressive
• are capturing
  progressive
• is capturing
  progressive
• have been capturing
  perfect progressive
• has been capturing
  perfect progressive

Past

• captured
  simple
• had captured
  perfect
• was capturing
  progressive
• were capturing
  progressive
• had been capturing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will capture
  simple
• will have captured
  perfect
• will be capturing
  progressive
• will have been capturing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of capture

First recorded in 1535–45; from Middle French, from Latin captūra, equivalent to capt(us) “taken” (past participle of capere “to take”) + -ūra -ure

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Explanation

The verb to capture means to grab, trap, or take something that doesn't want to be grabbed, trapped, or taken. Hunters, pirates, and kidnappers all capture the things they want. If you want that tiger, you're going to have to capture him, either by setting a trap or shooting him. Either way, his capture won't be easy. You can also capture a photograph of something — which, while it doesn't mean taking it against its will, is still a kind of taking in which the thing itself is not participating. The pirate captured his hostages, while his hostages captured the scene on their cell-phone video cameras.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capture captures captured capturing

High prices encourage consumers to conserve resources and seek alternatives, while for producers they motivate more investment to capture those extraordinary profits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Police investigating ongoing home burglaries in the still-rebuilding Palisades have been able to identify suspects, she said, in part because license plate readers frequently capture the getaway vehicles used by burglars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

"The board of directors commended the very good operational performance of all business segments which enabled the company to capture higher market prices," the company said in its earnings statement.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

A unified stance, however, would push the SpaceX timeline to likely between 2030 and 2032, and the company could spend up to 10 years attempting to capture 20% of the U.S. market, according to Citi.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

The mobile unit pulls up beside us, and the crew scrambles for cameras and equipment to capture this beehive of activity.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

The video captures the brakes being applied and the car veering left to attempt to swerve around the pedestrian, CHP said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

As Perseverance moves, it continuously captures images of its surroundings, constructs a three-dimensional map of potential obstacles, and selects a safe route between destinations chosen by mission controllers.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

The film, newly restored from Greaves’ father William’s original offering, captures a staggering array of luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance reflecting on the period during a four-hour cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s townhouse in 1972.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

Nvidia’s revenue could still grow in an expanding market while it captures a smaller share of a customer’s budget or accepts lower margins to secure business.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

What mattered to Mozart was that his music should be enjoyed, not that he should be worshipped or revered, and it is this quality of treasured delight that captures his age.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

An offensive by M23 and the Rwandan army captured large swathes of eastern DR Congo in 2025, and clashes have continued despite a US-brokered peace agreement between Rwanda and the DR Congo last December.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

“That’s a statement about how much this team has captured the hearts of the people from Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

That heartfelt moment was captured on her Ring camera too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Detailed recordings captured their sleeping positions, periods of quiet rest, and episodes of REM-like movement.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

The next day, the American soldiers took the captured boys to Dachau, a liberated concentration camp located just twelve miles outside Munich.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

The lithium fluoride detectors work by capturing microscopic changes caused by radiation.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

“Our performance this quarter provides further evidence that we are capturing them.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

The album blends rock, blues and folk, capturing the energy of Hill's live-performance roots alongside his personal journey, including struggles with mental health and the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Kiwanuka is a sonic artificer of the highest level, capturing lofty hope and languid melancholia in liquid waves that crash and surge around his voice.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

After my morning of capturing bees, I spent the afternoon in the peach stand out on the highway, selling T. Ray’s peaches.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

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Related Words

• apprehend
• arrest
• catch
• conquer
• grab
• occupy
• pick up
• round up
• secure
• seize
• snatch
• take
• trap

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