capture

1 of 2

noun

cap·ture ˈkap-chər

-shər

Synonyms of capture next

: an act or instance of capturing: such as

: an act of catching, winning, or gaining control by force, stratagem, or guile

the capture of the city by enemy forces

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

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

: the act of recording in a permanent file

data capture

motion capture

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

capture

2 of 2

verb

captured; capturing ˈkap-chə-riŋ

ˈkap-shriŋ

transitive verb

: to take captive

also : to gain control of especially by force

capture a city

: to gain or win especially through effort

captured 60 percent of the vote

: 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

: 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.

: to captivate and hold the interest of

The performer captured our attention.

: to take according to the rules of a game

A knight captured his pawn.

: to bring about the capture of (a subatomic particle)

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

ˈkap-chə-rə-bəl

-shrə-bəl

adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Larger gas units would have to employ carbon capture technology to trap 90% of their emissions by 2035 or burn more hydrogen instead. —

Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Anchorage Daily News, 13 May 2023 And the second issue today is the capture of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. —

Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 13 May 2023 The administration says tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act will help reduce the cost of carbon capture technology, which up to this point has been seen as too expensive for wide-scale deployment. —

Stephanie Ebbs, ABC News, 11 May 2023 For example, coal plants that are already scheduled to retire before 2032 may not have to install new pollution controls like carbon capture technology. —

Coral Davenport, BostonGlobe.com, 11 May 2023 According to the International Energy Agency, there are currently 18 direct-air capture plants operating worldwide. —

Cara Korte, CBS News, 11 May 2023 Neri recently caught a female long-eared owl, marking that marked his 10,000th capture at Whitefish Point. —

Ryan Garza, Freep.com, 8 May 2023 However, all satellites gather and send information to Earth via signals over open airwaves which means that all those communications are available for capture. —

Skip Sanzeri, Forbes, 5 May 2023 In a recent study, researchers also found a way to make carbon capture more efficient by using a hybrid of existing methods. —

Harold Maass, The Week, 28 Apr. 2023

Verb

Tarasenko writes that many T-62Ms were left behind during a personnel rotation and ultimately abandoned when Russia withdrew from the west bank of the Dnieper River in November 2022, leaving them to be captured by Ukrainian forces. —

Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 17 May 2023 As the dancers ventured from the stage and into a dark corner of the wing, their every step was captured on camera. —

Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023 Heat records alone don't capture how people are affected. —

Lois Parshley, Scientific American, 16 May 2023 On election day, more young people voted then had in 20 years and President Clinton captured most of those votes. —

Dave Sirulnick, Variety, 16 May 2023 German photographer Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas captured the moment in a meadow last summer. —

Carolyn Hagler, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2023 That process takes energy, and capturing carbon dioxide does increase the building’s electricity use, but overall the system is still reducing the building’s emissions. —

Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 15 May 2023 The data captures the health information only of veterans who saw a doctor through the VA or Medicare. —

Jen Christensen, CNN, 15 May 2023 The class, led by artist Sue Britt, teaches skills to capture the beauty of nature. —

Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'capture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French, from Latin captura, from captus — see captive entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of capture was circa 1542

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Capture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capture. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

capture

1 of 2 noun

cap·ture ˈkap-chər

-shər

: the act of catching or gaining control by force or trickery

: something or someone captured

capture

2 of 2 verb

captured; capturing ˈkap-chə-riŋ

ˈkap-shriŋ

: to take and hold especially by force

capture a city

: to gain or win as if by force

captured first prize

: preserve entry 1 sense 1

captured her smile on film

Etymology

Noun

from early French capture "capture," from Latin captura (same meaning), from captus "taken (as a prisoner)," from capere "to take" — related to accept, catch, receive