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 capture …—
Rachel Schilke
Rachel 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.
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
Mike Tony … mercury capture in incinerator flue gas can be carried out … with high removal efficiencies … —Fabrizio Scala
Fabrizio Scala 2
: someone or something that is taken or captured (such as a war prize)
captured; capturing
ˈkap-chə-riŋ 
ˈkap-shriŋ
; captures
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 capture …—C. E. Montague
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
Kenneth ChangSynonyms
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 WebMichael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024
The program allocates about $280 million annually to stormwater capture projects, although recent reports have found that progress to date has been slow.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
In Gaza, in their search for hostages, Israeli forces have raided hospitals, dug up gravesites and scoured tunnels used by Hamas to evade capture and hide from Israeli bombs.
—Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Even local Anglo sheriffs and politicians, who depended on Texas-Mexican votes, helped Garza evade capture.
—TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Video capture via the rear camera tops out at 4K at 30fps.
—PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
After weeks of evading capture, the 14-foot-long crocodile finally fell for the trap, officials said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
While its strategic significance is limited, the loss of Avdiivka - taken together with Moscow’s capture of the town of Bakhmut last year - indicates how the war appears to have turned in Russia’s favor.
—Mariya Knight, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
External Audit Workflow, which leverages AI and automation to centralize, simplify, and streamline management of third-party audits, further supports case-level data capture and reporting with the addition of the Case Target Type and Case Target Value fields.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Cook and Diaz exquisitely capture the insouciant youth as well as the torment and suffering of their characters.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024
The clip was captured by a QVC content producer and reposted by the Word to the Wise Podcast account.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
The data for these images was captured on October 4, 2020 during Mars’ most recent spring.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Apr. 2024
The etchings captured the violence of conflicts like the Peninsular War, which ravaged Spain between 1808 and 1814.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024
Five military horses got loose in central London yesterday, galloping through rush hour crowds, smashing into vehicles and injuring several people before being captured.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024
In this case, control really means capturing CO2 emissions using technologies that scrub the greenhouse gas out of smokestack emissions before they can be released into the atmosphere.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2024
His tributes to Kobe Bryant, Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully helped capture the city’s grief.
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Noun
The first part, guided by a humanoid robot called Aura, includes a 360-degree avatar capture and a 50-foot-high holographic installation.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Apr. 2024
The program allocates about $280 million annually to stormwater capture projects, although recent reports have found that progress to date has been slow.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
In Gaza, in their search for hostages, Israeli forces have raided hospitals, dug up gravesites and scoured tunnels used by Hamas to evade capture and hide from Israeli bombs.
—Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Even local Anglo sheriffs and politicians, who depended on Texas-Mexican votes, helped Garza evade capture.
—TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Video capture via the rear camera tops out at 4K at 30fps.
—PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
After weeks of evading capture, the 14-foot-long crocodile finally fell for the trap, officials said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
While its strategic significance is limited, the loss of Avdiivka - taken together with Moscow’s capture of the town of Bakhmut last year - indicates how the war appears to have turned in Russia’s favor.
—Mariya Knight, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
External Audit Workflow, which leverages AI and automation to centralize, simplify, and streamline management of third-party audits, further supports case-level data capture and reporting with the addition of the Case Target Type and Case Target Value fields.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
Related Articles Arnulfo Maldonado’s boxy set design perfectly captures the claustrophobia of being trapped in your own head.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Cook and Diaz exquisitely capture the insouciant youth as well as the torment and suffering of their characters.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024
The clip was captured by a QVC content producer and reposted by the Word to the Wise Podcast account.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
The data for these images was captured on October 4, 2020 during Mars’ most recent spring.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 25 Apr. 2024
The etchings captured the violence of conflicts like the Peninsular War, which ravaged Spain between 1808 and 1814.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024
Five military horses got loose in central London yesterday, galloping through rush hour crowds, smashing into vehicles and injuring several people before being captured.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024
In this case, control really means capturing CO2 emissions using technologies that scrub the greenhouse gas out of smokestack emissions before they can be released into the atmosphere.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2024
His tributes to Kobe Bryant, Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully helped capture the city’s grief.
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near capture
Cite this Entry
“Capture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capture. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
capture
1 of 2 noun
cap·ture
ˈkap-chər
-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
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
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