capture

noun

cap·ture | \ ˈkap-chər

, -shər\

Definition of capture

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an act or instance of capturing: such as

a : an act of catching, winning, or gaining control by force, stratagem, or guile the capture of the city by enemy forces

b : a move in a board game (such as chess or checkers) that gains an opponent's piece

c : the absorption by an atom, nucleus, or particle of a subatomic particle that often results in subsequent emission of radiation or in fission

d : the act of recording in a permanent file data capture motion capture

2 : one that has been taken (such as a prize ship)

capture

verb

captured; capturing\ ˈkap-chə-riŋ

, ˈkap-shriŋ \

Definition of capture (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to take captive also : to gain control of especially by force capture a city

b : 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. Montague

b : 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

Other Words from capture Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about capture

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Synonyms & Antonyms for capture

Synonyms: Noun

captive, internee, prisoner

Synonyms: Verb

acquire, attain, bag, bring in, carry, come by, draw, earn, gain, garner, get, knock down, land, make, obtain, procure, pull down, realize, reap, secure, win

Antonyms: Noun

captor

Antonyms: Verb

forfeit, lose

Choose the Right Synonym for capture

Verb

catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing. catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding. caught the dog as it ran by capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty. capture an enemy stronghold trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor. trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing. trap animals snared butterflies with a net entrap and ensnare more often are figurative. entrapped the witness with a trick question a sting operation that ensnared burglars bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey. bagged a brace of pheasants

Examples of capture in a Sentence

Noun

the capture of the city by enemy forces a Spanish treasure ship was the most valuable capture ever taken by that privateer

Verb

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Many countries ban or require special permits for the capture and export of certain species or species in particular areas, such as national parks, but that hasn’t stopped people from snatching little critters from the wild. — Jani Actman, National Geographic, "Bug smuggling is big business," 5 Sep. 2019 Even a scientist working on NASA’s James Webb Telescope tweeted congratulations to Chappel for the capture. — Jeffery Delviscio, Scientific American, "A Flash on Jupiter, the Death of Mitochondria and the World under Your Skin: The Week’s Best Science GIFs," 16 Aug. 2019 Motion-capture work for a Star Wars movie is not the stuff of tabloid fodder. — Michael O'connell, The Hollywood Reporter, "From 'Fleabag' to James Bond and Beyond: Phoebe Waller-Bridge on Death and Her Secret New Movie," 14 Aug. 2019 Doing the math, resulting clean power construction costs for carbon capture are more than double the costs for renewable energy. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: One small step for man began with giant leaps of faith of many (7/20/19)," 21 July 2019 An Iranian official had earlier called for the capture of British vessels after the Royal Navy seized a tanker laden with Iranian oil allegedly bound for Syria off the coast of Gibraltar last week. — Benoit Faucon, WSJ, "Persian Gulf Skirmishes Force Tankers to Take Precautions Against Iran," 12 July 2019 Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth and Racine Police Chief Art Howell announced Thursday afternoon that the reward for the capture of the suspect has been increased to $37,000. — Marisa Peryer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Racine police announce increased reward for suspect who shot an off-duty cop," 20 June 2019 Darlene Cusanza, president of Crimestoppers GNO, announced the reward Wednesday (June 5) for the capture of Jules Johnson, 29. — Robert Rhoden, nola.com, "$5,000 reward offered in Slidell-area homicide case," 5 June 2019 Slave owners issued huge rewards for Tubman's capture. — oregonlive, "Harriet Tubman won’t replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill next year," 22 May 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Instead of capturing historical sites and tourist attractions, Frank honed in on the small moments that made up the fabric of American life. — Emma Specter, Vogue, "Photographer Robert Frank is Dead at 94," 10 Sep. 2019 Adventure photographer and cinematographer Krystle Wright hails from Australia and has made a career of capturing unique and thrilling moments from expeditions and extreme sports. — National Geographic, "Krystle Wright," 10 Sep. 2019 His work is revered globally for capturing the essence of a subject and promoting healthy ideals of beauty, eschewing photoshopping, and preferring natural beauty with minimal makeup. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Honor Photographer Peter Lindbergh on Instagram," 4 Sep. 2019 In the 1950s, Nashville attempted to stem the swelling tide of rock ’n’ roll in capturing the fascination of America’s youth. — Los Angeles Times, "In 2019, country music has a raging identity crisis. For Ken Burns, that’s a 100-year-old story," 4 Sep. 2019 Galena Park finished its first four possessions with touchdowns and the Yellowjackets never looked back in capturing a 49-6 non-district win in the 63rd meeting between the two schools. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Zapien’s debut spoiled with 49-6 loss to Galena Park," 2 Sep. 2019 Liberty enters the new season as the reigning Carroll County Athletic League champion after capturing its first county title since 1982. — Pat Stoetzer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Fall Sports Previews: 3 things to watch for field hockey in 2019," 31 Aug. 2019 The main feature of the Pro iPhones will be a new camera system on the back with a third sensor for capturing ultra-wide-angle photos and videos. — Bloomberg News, The Denver Post, "Apple readies camera-focused Pro iPhones, new iPads, larger MacBook Pro," 31 Aug. 2019 Those plans changed, and this is Marchant’s way of capturing some of that dream. — Roxanne Washington, cleveland.com, "Cool Spaces: Cozy ‘castle’ is among eight stops on Heights Heritage Home & Garden Tour Sept. 15," 30 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'capture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.