capture

1 of 2

noun

cap·​ture ˈkap-chər How to pronounce capture (audio)
-shər
plural captures
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
The criminals avoided/eluded/escaped capture.
… authorities increased the reward for information leading to his captureRachel Schilke
b
: a move in a board game (such as chess or checkers) that gains an opponent's piece
In the original game of checkers, capture was optional, as it is in modern chess.Jack Botermans et al.
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
e
: any of various methods of removing a substance from something (such as emissions produced by an industrial process) to reduce its presence in the atmosphere
especially : carbon capture sense 1
Coal-fired plants operating in 2040 and beyond would have to use carbon capture and storage technology with 90% capture of carbon. Mike Tony
… mercury capture in incinerator flue gas can be carried out … with high removal efficiencies … Fabrizio Scala
2
: someone or something that is taken or captured (such as a war prize)

capture

2 of 2

verb

captured; capturing ˈkap-chə-riŋ How to pronounce capture (audio)
ˈkap-shriŋ
; captures

transitive verb

1
a
: to take and hold (someone or something) as a captive or prisoner
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 captureC. 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
ˈkap-chə-rə-bəl How to pronounce capture (audio)
-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

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
Officials added that brass knuckles were also found in Laws' pocket upon his capture. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024 And for all the years of early death and suffering — from the time of settler colonialism and the colonizers came over to grab land, to commit genocide amongst and towards the Indigenous people, and the capture of Africans brought here to be enslaved — all of it is too late. Deborah Balthazar, STAT, 1 Mar. 2024 Heather Cooley, director of research with the Pacific Institute, noted that stormwater capture has other benefits as well. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Small gains, such as the recent capture of Avdiivka, have come at enormous cost. Matthew Chance, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 As the war in Ukraine enters a third year—and while a crucial aid package stalls in the House—Russia has gained recent momentum from its capture of Avdiivka, while Ukrainian forces face intensifying shortages of man power and ammunition. The Editors, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024 This facilitates the capture of new insights and data elements, informing intervention strategies when necessary. Amit Verma, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Devlin reiterates that all of the data Polar ID captures is saved in the trusted execution environment on Qualcomm’s chipset, where it’s encrypted. Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024 The trio of developers seeks $296 million in tax breaks and future tax captures over 35 years, plus approval of a Community Benefits package and various zoning changes. Detroit Free Press, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
For decades, the focus has been getting rid of water, not capturing it. Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 That was said months before Ukrainian forces lost the eastern city of Avdiivka, prompting a disorderly retreat that left significant numbers of troops missing or captured. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Turn on the recoil activation for the video and camera and capture unique stills and footage from your hunts. Amanda Oliver, Field & Stream, 21 Mar. 2024 To capture Booth, theatergoers would’ve had to run out the front door, turn right, run around the corner and block the escape from the alley. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 All volunteers need to do is angle their phones up to capture the big event and let SunSketcher record the rest. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Mar. 2024 Both the ascent vehicle and waiting service module will begin phasing maneuvers needed to rendezvous and dock, made possible by inertial measurement units, radar and optical navigation, docking ports, capture mechanisms and software algorithms, again using Chang’e-5’s mission profile as guide. IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2024 With many prisoners captured within the first years of the war, boredom and restlessness were endemic. Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The past few generations of Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra variant have been stellar choices for capturing birds in the air, movement on a tree, or a flaring smoke stack from far away. Florence Ion / Gizmodo, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024

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

Cite this Entry

“Capture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capture. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

capture

1 of 2 noun
cap·​ture ˈkap-chər How to pronounce capture (audio)
-shər
1
: the act of catching or gaining control by force or trickery
2
: something or someone captured

capture

2 of 2 verb
captured; capturing ˈkap-chə-riŋ How to pronounce capture (audio)
ˈkap-shriŋ
1
a
: to take and hold especially by force
capture a city
b
: to gain or win as if by force
captured first prize
2
: 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

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