Definition of capture
1 : an act or instance of capturing: such asa : an act of catching, winning, or gaining control by force, stratagem, or guile the capture of the city by enemy forcesb : a move in a board game (such as chess or checkers) that gains an opponent's piecec : the absorption by an atom, nucleus, or particle of a subatomic particle that often results in subsequent emission of radiation or in fissiond : the act of recording in a permanent file data capture motion capture
2 : one that has been taken (such as a prize ship)
From the M-W Editors
Examples of capture in a Sentence
the capture of the city by enemy forces
a Spanish treasure ship was the most valuable capture ever taken by that privateer
Origin and Etymology of capture
Medieval French, from Latin captura, from captus —see captive
First Known Use: circa 1542
capture
Definition of capture
captured
;capturing
play \ˈkap-chə-riŋ, ˈkap-shriŋ\transitive verb
1a : to take captive; also : to gain control of especially by force capture a cityb : to gain or win especially through effort captured 60 percent of the vote
2a : to emphasize, represent, or preserve (something, such as a scene, mood, or quality) in a more or less permanent form … at any such moment as a photograph might capture … — C. E. Montagueb : to record in a permanent file (as in a computer) The system is used to capture data relating to the buying habits of young people.
3 : to captivate and hold the interest of The performer captured our attention.
4 : to take according to the rules of a game A knight captured his pawn.
5 : to bring about the capture of (a subatomic particle)
6 astronomy : to draw into the gravitational influence of a larger body Asteroids were thought to be too small to capture a moon, but the moon might be a fragment that broke off. — Kenneth Chang
Examples of capture in a Sentence
They were captured by enemy soldiers.
using traps to capture mice
The city was captured by the Romans.
She captured 60 percent of the vote in the last election.
The company plans on capturing a larger segment of the market.
The show has captured the attention of teenagers.
1574
First Known Use of capture
1574
Synonym Discussion of capture
CAPTURE Defined for English Language Learners
capture
playDefinition of capture for English Language Learners
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: the act of taking and holding someone as a prisoner or of being taken as a prisoner
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: the act of getting control of something
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: the act of putting information in a form that a computer can use or read
capture
Definition of capture for English Language Learners
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: to take and hold (someone) as a prisoner especially by using force
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: to catch (an animal)
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: to get control of (a place) especially by using force
CAPTURE Defined for Kids
Definition of capture for Students
captured
;capturing
1 : to take and hold especially by force The eagle captured its prey.
2 : to win or get through effort The candidate captured more than half the vote.
3 : to get and hold The seaweed strewn about … had captured her attention. — Kevin Henkes, Olive's Ocean
4 : to put into a lasting form She captured the scene in a photo.
Word Root of capture
The Latin word capere, meaning “to seize” or “to take,” and its form captus give us the roots cap, capt, and cept. Words from the Latin capere have something to do with taking. To capture is to take something or someone by using force. To accept is to take something willingly. Anyone capable of doing something is able to take on that task.
Definition of capture for Students
: the act of taking and holding especially by force
Learn More about capture
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for capture Spanish Central: Translation of capture Nglish: Translation of capture for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of capture for Arabic speakers
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