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

There has been no word from Egypt on the militant’s capture, which would mark a major victory against Islamic extremists waging an insurgency that is centered in the north of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. — Rami Musa, The Seattle Times, "Libyan forces capture fugitive Egyptian militant," 8 Oct. 2018 Puigdemont’s capture, aided by Spanish intelligence services, sparked protests of tens of thousands demonstrators in Catalonia’s main city of Barcelona and other towns in the wealthy northeastern corner of Spain. — Joseph Wilson And Kirsten Grieshaber, USA TODAY, "Catalan ex-leader’s capture in Germany sparks mass protests," 25 Mar. 2018 The gun as a symbol-of-bravery makes its appearance in the mid-19th century in portraits of Native Americans and African-Americans, primarily reserved for those who resisted capture, slavery or relocation. — Kim Sajet, Smithsonian, "How Portraiture Gave Rise to the Glamour of Guns," 23 Mar. 2018 The 855 will do 4K, HDR10+ video capture in portrait mode at 60fps, and at 30 percent less power than the 845, said Judd Heape, senior director of product management at Qualcomm. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Meet Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855: AI boosts, a smarter camera, mobile gaming—and bye-bye, JPEG," 5 Dec. 2018 Game capture and streaming hardware company Elgato announced a new gadget today that can turn any existing DSLR camera, action cam, or standard video camcorder into a 4K webcam. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Elgato’s newest Cam Link will let live streamers turn a DSLR or GoPro into a 4K webcam," 27 Nov. 2018 The company will for example capture and store carbon and work with suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. — BostonGlobe.com, "Life sciences bill sent to the governor," 8 June 2018 Instead, nearly every potential plan relies on a strategy called carbon capture and storage, or CCS. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "What Is Carbon Capture?," 13 Apr. 2018 According to a report by Netlab 360's Genshen Ye, more than 7,500 of them are actively being spied on by attackers, who are actively forwarding full captures of their network traffic to a number of remote servers. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Unpatched routers being used to build vast proxy army, spy on networks," 5 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Some online trolls may have tried to shame Ocasio-Cortez by sharing a video that captured her dancing on a rooftop, but the Internet has turned that narrative around. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Watch Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Dance to Selena Gomez, Beyoncé, and More," 4 Jan. 2019 Here, the shows, accounts, and Internet happenings that captured our attention in 2018. — The Editors, Marie Claire, "Marie Claire Editors Tell You Their Favorite Things You Probably Missed in 2018," 31 Dec. 2018 The Absolute Unit Has Staying Power John Galliano’s captivating statement on shape and size at Maison Margiela is alluring, but it’s Demna Gvasalia’s packed-on parkas at Balenciaga that captured hearts. — Vogue, "The Best Fashion Trends of 2018, According to You, Our Instagram Followers," 18 Dec. 2018 There's an actual steamy shower scene that pretty much captures this fact. — Noelle Devoe, Seventeen, "A Definitive Ranking of the 8 Best Nicholas Sparks Movies," 20 Nov. 2018 Announced in tandem with the new Google Pixel 3 lineup, Night Sight—the tech giant's low-light photography setting that captures vivid images in the darkest of scenes—is absolutely eye-catching. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Pixel's Night Sight is Declaring War on Flash Photography," 15 Nov. 2018 The paper that captured everyone’s attention is written by Harvard astrophysicists Avi Loeb and Shmuel Bialy, who tried to describe some weird behavior exhibited by a space rock called `Oumuamua. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Why we shouldn’t cry ‘aliens’ about that interstellar space rock just yet," 6 Nov. 2018 The home measures 5,135 square feet in total over three levels, with east-facing and clerestory windows that capture optimal light. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Hillside modern marvel with pool and views asks $4.9M," 24 Oct. 2018 Photographer Alex Bramall, who captured the bride for Harper's BAZAAR's September 2016 issue, took the pictures in Windsor Castle's White Drawing Room. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Princess Eugenie Shares a Candid Wedding Photo with Her Adorable Bridal Party," 16 Oct. 2018

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.