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 WebShira 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
Her grandfather evaded capture by foraging in forests and hiding in people's attics and basements.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The arrests of close Machado allies last week, as well as the issue of warrants for the capture of seven others, prompted international outcry.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Saturday evening’s Michelin-Star Showcase featured Oceanside’s breakout Mexican restaurant Valle, helmed by Roberto Alcocer, which is only one of five restaurants in San Diego to capture a constellation.
—Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024
Dunst plays world-weary photojournalist Lee, who travels to Washington to capture the raid with rookie photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) and their teammate Joel (Wagner Moura).
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
This marks the first time in league history that three teams have the same record through 81 games with a chance to capture the No. 1 seed in their respective conference.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 13 Apr. 2024
The purifier is equipped with a high-efficiency filtration system that’s designed to capture pollen, pet dander, dust, and more in rooms up to 215 square feet in size.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Players go on increasingly difficult raids to capture exotic and hard-to-find monsters, with the goal of training, battling, and, in some cases, even breeding them.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
The site’s cultural reach extended beyond what numbers can capture: BlackPlanet amplified the work of emerging artists, served as a powerful voter-outreach hub for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, and fostered now-prominent voices in contemporary media.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Those devices, combined with infrared video equipment set up to monitor the facility, will capture whether explosions at River Metals coincide with spikes in negative air quality.
—The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
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
Her grandfather evaded capture by foraging in forests and hiding in people's attics and basements.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The arrests of close Machado allies last week, as well as the issue of warrants for the capture of seven others, prompted international outcry.
—Reuters, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Verb
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
Saturday evening’s Michelin-Star Showcase featured Oceanside’s breakout Mexican restaurant Valle, helmed by Roberto Alcocer, which is only one of five restaurants in San Diego to capture a constellation.
—Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Apr. 2024
Dunst plays world-weary photojournalist Lee, who travels to Washington to capture the raid with rookie photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) and their teammate Joel (Wagner Moura).
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
This marks the first time in league history that three teams have the same record through 81 games with a chance to capture the No. 1 seed in their respective conference.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 13 Apr. 2024
The purifier is equipped with a high-efficiency filtration system that’s designed to capture pollen, pet dander, dust, and more in rooms up to 215 square feet in size.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Players go on increasingly difficult raids to capture exotic and hard-to-find monsters, with the goal of training, battling, and, in some cases, even breeding them.
—Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
The site’s cultural reach extended beyond what numbers can capture: BlackPlanet amplified the work of emerging artists, served as a powerful voter-outreach hub for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, and fostered now-prominent voices in contemporary media.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Those devices, combined with infrared video equipment set up to monitor the facility, will capture whether explosions at River Metals coincide with spikes in negative air quality.
—The Enquirer, 3 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 19 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share