capture

noun cap·ture \ ˈkap-chər , -shər \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of capture

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)

See capture defined for English-language learners

See capture defined for kids

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

Recent Examples of capture from the Web

Attendees combined the aesthetics of the African diaspora, remixed them, and then stirred them up again to create stunning outfits that tell a story and capture imaginations.

— Allure, "28 of the Best Street Style Looks We Saw at Afropunk," 28 Aug. 2017
Another very probably theory from this user suggests Benjen could make a triumphant return and help the wight-hunting gang with their capture.

— bernadette deron, Harper's BAZAAR, "So, How Exactly Will Jon Snow Capture a White Walker?," 18 Aug. 2017
To the people of Boston, his capture was an outrage.

— robert k. sutton, Smithsonian, "The Wealthy Activist Who Helped Turn “Bleeding Kansas” Free," 16 Aug. 2017
The American government, however, considered Mr. Robow a terrorist and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

— jeffrey gettleman, New York Times, "An Ex-Shabab Leader Surrenders in Somalia, Officials Say," 13 Aug. 2017
Strategies to reduce watershed contamination have largely focused on stormwater capture and filtration techniques.

— joshua emerson smith, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Water quality in county's rivers and creeks improves, but long-term prognosis unknown," 27 July 2017
During the presidential campaign Trump had mocked McCain for his capture by the Vietnamese.

— ricardo alonso-zaldivar, chicagotribune.com, "McCain delivers a key health care vote, scolding message," 26 July 2017
From Egypt to India and then to Damascus, its capture iron's growing power across the globe.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "This 1959 Ode to Steel Might Be the Best Ad Ever Made," 25 July 2017
Stephen Colbert, who's truly one of the world's leading Tolkien scholars, had Andy Serkis, the visionary motion-capture actor who played Gollum, on his show last night.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Andy Serkis Reading Trump's Tweets as Gollum Is Both Hilarious and Unsettling," 12 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of capture

Medieval French, from Latin captura, from captus — see captive

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1542

See Words from the same year

capture Synonyms

Synonyms

captive, internee, prisoner

Antonyms

captor

Related Words

coprisoner; convict, jailbird; arrestee; abductee, kidnappee (or kidnapee)

Near Antonyms

custodian, guard, guardian, jailer (also jailor), keeper, marshal (also marshall), warden; abductor, kidnapper (also kidnaper)

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

capture

verb

Definition of capture

captured; capturing play \ˈkap-chə-riŋ, ˈkap-shriŋ\

transitive verb

1 a :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

2 a :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

—

capturable

play \ˈkap-chə-rə-bəl, -shrə-bəl\ adjective

See capture defined for English-language learners

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.

Recent Examples of capture from the Web

These sculptures capture some of the whimsical notes of Holliday's original Columbia posters and enhance our experience of the work and streetscape through interactivity.

— ian kennedy, Columbia Flier, "Merriweather, the arts, remain at the core of Columbia's future [Commentary]," 13 July 2017
The on-court action was fine, but the real drama happened in the royal box, where photographers captured Smith and McKellen in a full range of facial expressions —including elation, fear, disappointment, outrage, and surprise.

— devan coggan, EW.com, "Ian McKellen and Maggie Smith are Living Their Best Lives at Wimbledon," 12 July 2017
Surveillance video captured the white male coin maker walking across the factory floor with a noose in hand.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "US Mint Employee Suspended After Leaving Noose On Black Colleague’s Desk," 11 July 2017
The law is designed to capture contributions of definable value, like money or other assets.

— david french, National Review, "There Is Now Evidence that Senior Trump Officials Attempted to Collude With Russia," 11 July 2017
Tina's personal interior designer, Stephen Sills (who also counts Anna Wintour and the Rockefeller family among clients), designed the exhibit, which was created to capture the energy and glamour of her performances. 7.

— erin shaw street, Southern Living, "10 Things To Know About The New Tina Turner Museum," 11 July 2017
One of the cyclists, Greg Goodman, captured the entire incident on his GoPro.

— kelly o'sullivan, Country Living, "This Startling Video Captures the Moment a Driver Strikes a Cyclist in a Hit-and-Run," 11 July 2017
His influence — emblematic of a series about capturing magical creatures and deploying them in battle — ripples through everything from Atlus's Persona to Bandai Namco's Ni No Kuni games.

— SI.com, "The 15 Most Influential Video Game Characters of All Time," 4 July 2017
These traits, which Tim captures quite beautifully, will certainly lead to even greater success off the field than what each has already accomplished, and will yet accomplish, on the field.

— Howard County Times, "Student athletes exemplify character, leadership [Letter]," 4 July 2017

First Known Use of capture

1574

capture Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

forfeit, lose

Related Words

clear, gross, net; accomplish, achieve, notch (up), score; accumulate, amass, draw, rack up; catch, pick up; annex, occupy, take over; reacquire, reattain, recapture, regain, remake

Near Antonyms

accord, give, grant, pay; give up, hand over, part (with), relinquish, surrender, yield

Synonym Discussion of capture

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

CAPTURE Defined for English Language Learners

capture

noun

Definition of capture for English Language Learners

: the act of taking and holding someone as a prisoner or of being taken as a prisoner
: the act of getting control of something
: the act of putting information in a form that a computer can use or read

capture

verb

Definition of capture for English Language Learners

: to take and hold (someone) as a prisoner especially by using force
: to catch (an animal)
: to get control of (a place) especially by using force

CAPTURE Defined for Kids

capture

verb cap·ture \ ˈkap-chər \

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.