caption

1 of 2

noun

cap·​tion ˈkap-shən 

1

: the part of a legal document that shows where, when, and by what authority it was taken, found, or executed

2

a

: the heading especially of an article or document : title

b

: the explanatory comment or designation accompanying a pictorial illustration

read the caption for the names of the people in the picture

c

: a movie or television show subtitle

captionless

ˈkap-shən-ləs 

adjective

caption

2 of 2

verb

captioned; captioning ˈkap-sh(ə-)niŋ  ; captions

transitive verb

: to furnish with a caption

… confirm that photographs are correctly captioned and pages numbered sequentially.

—Publishers Weekly

… the captions and pictures are frequently out of sync, and the live local weather and sports segments are usually not captioned.

—Melvia M. and Ronald E. Nomeland

Synonyms

Noun

• translation
• legend
• cutline
• subtitle

Examples of caption in a Sentence

Noun

The caption on the picture says “This year's contest winners.”

for the school yearbook, funny captions were written for snapshots showing a typical day at school

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University fed the robot visual data and captions describing each step of the procedure. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025

In response to both the heartfelt caption and Amelie’s achievement, Haack offered a simple gesture of support by liking the post. —Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 18 July 2025

Verb

Wahlberg, 55, captioned an Instagram selfie of him smiling with Moynahan, 54, on set of Boston Blue. —Julia Moore, People.com, 18 July 2025

Lizzo captioned a clip of the pair singing the track, adding the hashtag #stadiumstatus. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

probably short for certificate of caption (taking, seizure)

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1848, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for caption

• aptian
• adaption
• contraption

Kids Definition

caption

noun

cap·​tion

ˈkap-shən

1

: the heading especially of an article or document

2

: the explanation or description accompanying a pictorial illustration (as a cartoon or photograph)

3

: subtitle sense 2

caption verb

Legal Definition

caption

noun

cap·​tion ˈkap-shən 

: the part of a legal document that states the court, the names of the parties, the docket number, the title of the document, and sometimes the name of the judge

Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin captio act of taking, from Latin capere to take