1
: the part of a legal document that shows where, when, and by what authority it was taken, found, or executed
2
a
: the heading especially of an article or document : title
b
: the explanatory comment or designation accompanying a pictorial illustration
read the caption for the names of the people in the picture
c
: a movie or television show subtitle
captioned; captioning
ˈkap-sh(ə-)niŋ 
; captions
; captions
: to furnish with a caption
… confirm that photographs are correctly captioned and pages numbered sequentially.—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly… the captions and pictures are frequently out of sync, and the live local weather and sports segments are usually not captioned.—Melvia M. and Ronald E. Nomeland
Melvia M. and Ronald E. NomelandSynonyms
Examples of caption in a Sentence
Noun
The caption on the picture says “This year's contest winners.”
for the school yearbook, funny captions were written for snapshots showing a typical day at school
Recent Examples on the WebRania Aniftos, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
On April 17, Merkin Vineyards posted a photo of the owner on Instagram, where the caption invited everyone to come celebrate the owner's 60th birthday at the Old Town tasting room.
—The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
That phrase is part of a caption below a photo engraved onto a plaque depicting the 4-foot-by-8-foot painting’s presentation to the commander of the South Milwaukee Van Eimeren-Kolonka American Legion Post 27, Everett Cook, by artist Robert Cassidy.
—Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024
In the caption of an April 20 Instagram post, the actress, 50, offered a glimpse into her grieving process following the death of her beloved stepfather Roy Battersby in January.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Because of an editing error, a picture caption with the article reversed the identifications of James Gilchrist and Jon Gray.
—New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Mescudi casually introduced his future life partner to his fans on Instagram in the caption announcing their big news.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
Footage of the drone caught in wires also appeared in a Feb. 21 post on YouTube with a caption that said an unidentified military drone got stuck in phone lines in eastern Syria.
—Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, April 7, the Poosh founder, 44, posted photos of herself swimming in the ocean while on vacation with her family in Turks and Caicos — and hilariously revived an old joke from Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the caption.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Krakow captioned the photo with a simple anatomically correct heart emoji.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Richie Grainge, 25, captioned a photo as the opening title screen flashed for the movie.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Bündchen captioned an Instagram post from the shoot, tagging all the artists and stylists.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
De Laurentiis captioned her Instagram post, while also sharing an extended version on her YouTube Giadzy’s channel.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
Snell, however, appeared to offer his own confirmation with a photo posted to his personal Instagram of him edited into the Giants’ home uniform, captioned with two orange and black heart emojis.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
The Charles in Charge alum captioned the post with a quote from author Madeleine Eames.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
Noem captioned the video clip on X, formerly Twitter.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
In the caption, Dion shared her positive outlook amid her ongoing battle with Stiff Person Syndrome.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
On April 17, Merkin Vineyards posted a photo of the owner on Instagram, where the caption invited everyone to come celebrate the owner's 60th birthday at the Old Town tasting room.
—The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
That phrase is part of a caption below a photo engraved onto a plaque depicting the 4-foot-by-8-foot painting’s presentation to the commander of the South Milwaukee Van Eimeren-Kolonka American Legion Post 27, Everett Cook, by artist Robert Cassidy.
—Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024
In the caption of an April 20 Instagram post, the actress, 50, offered a glimpse into her grieving process following the death of her beloved stepfather Roy Battersby in January.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Because of an editing error, a picture caption with the article reversed the identifications of James Gilchrist and Jon Gray.
—New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Mescudi casually introduced his future life partner to his fans on Instagram in the caption announcing their big news.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
Footage of the drone caught in wires also appeared in a Feb. 21 post on YouTube with a caption that said an unidentified military drone got stuck in phone lines in eastern Syria.
—Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, April 7, the Poosh founder, 44, posted photos of herself swimming in the ocean while on vacation with her family in Turks and Caicos — and hilariously revived an old joke from Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the caption.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
Trump is not personally suing the judge, but the case is captioned Trump v Merchan.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Krakow captioned the photo with a simple anatomically correct heart emoji.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Richie Grainge, 25, captioned a photo as the opening title screen flashed for the movie.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Bündchen captioned an Instagram post from the shoot, tagging all the artists and stylists.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2024
De Laurentiis captioned her Instagram post, while also sharing an extended version on her YouTube Giadzy’s channel.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
Snell, however, appeared to offer his own confirmation with a photo posted to his personal Instagram of him edited into the Giants’ home uniform, captioned with two orange and black heart emojis.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
The Charles in Charge alum captioned the post with a quote from author Madeleine Eames.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
Noem captioned the video clip on X, formerly Twitter.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caption.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near caption
Cite this Entry
“Caption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caption. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
caption
noun
cap·tion
ˈkap-shən
: the part of a legal document that states the court, the names of the parties, the docket number, the title of the document, and sometimes the name of the judge
Etymology
Noun
Medieval Latin captio act of taking, from Latin capere to take
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