capture — English Dictionary

Noun

1. An act of capturing; a seizing by force or stratagem.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   even with regard to captures made at sea

2. The securing of an object of strife or desire, as by the power of some attraction.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   the capture of a lover’s heart

3. Something that has been captured; a captive.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

4. The recording or storage of something for later playback.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   video capture

5. A particular match found for a pattern in a text string.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   After the match […], the text matched within the named capture is available via the Match object's Groups(name) property.

Verb

1. To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   to capture an enemy, a vessel, or a criminal

   More examples (3)

   Arrests and prosecutions intensified after Isis captured Mosul in June, but the groundwork had been laid by an earlier amendment to Jordan’s anti-terrorism law. It is estimated that 2,000 Jordanians have fought and 250 of them have died in Syria – making them the third largest Arab contingent in Isis after Saudi Arabians and Tunisians.

   […]I said it was because Tillerson hadn't filled the subordinate ranks with appointees who would advance the Administration's policies and that he had, in effect, been captured by the careerists.

   Being so inflexible, the railway was easy prey to road competition, and the arrival of unregulated lorry transport from farm fields to town centres quickly captured all locally generated business.

2. To take hold of.

   Usage

   • Figurative
   • Transitive

   Synonyms

   catchgrabseize

   Examples

   The paintings in the gallery really captured my imagination.

3. To store (as in sounds or image) for later revisitation.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   She captured the sounds of a subway station on tape.

   She captured the details of the fresco in a series of photographs.

   More examples (1)

   Ultimately, whether you want to shoot digital or film, the object is to give the client what they want and to capture the image you want, the way you want it to look.

4. To reproduce convincingly.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   His film adaptation captured the spirit of the original work.

   In her latest masterpiece, she captured the essence of Venice.

   More examples (1)

   Winterhalter was gifted at capturing the luxurious fabrics and hairstyles of female royalty and he was commissioned to paint portraits of the continental Empresses Eugénie of France and Elizabeth of Austria.

5. To remove or take control of an opponent’s piece in a game (e.g., chess, go, checkers).

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   My pawn was captured.

   He captured his opponent’s queen on the 15th move.

   More examples (1)

   How deeply ingrained capturing is in the mind of a chess master can be seen from this story.

Noun

1. the act of forcibly dispossessing an owner of property

   Synonyms

   gaining controlseizure

   Broader terms

   acquiringgetting

2. a process whereby a star or planet holds an object in its gravitational field

   Broader terms

   natural processnatural actionactionactivity

3. any process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle

   Broader terms

   natural processnatural actionactionactivity

4. the act of taking of a person by force

   Synonyms

   seizure

   Broader terms

   felony

5. the removal of an opponent's piece from the chess board

   Broader terms

   chess move

Verb

1. succeed in representing or expressing something intangible

   Broader terms

   representinterpret

   Examples

   capture the essence of Spring

   capture an idea

2. attract; cause to be enamored

   Synonyms

   enamourtrancecatchbecharmenamorcaptivatebeguilecharmfascinatebewitchentranceenchant

   Broader terms

   attractappeal

   Examples

   She captured all the men's hearts

3. succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase

   Synonyms

   getcatch

   Broader terms

   seizeprehendclutchtake holdtake hold of

   Examples

   We finally got the suspect

   Did you catch the thief?

4. bring about the capture of an elementary particle or celestial body and causing it enter a new orbit

   Broader terms

   changealtermodify

   Examples

   This nucleus has captured the slow-moving neutrons

   The star captured a comet

5. take possession of by force, as after an invasion

   Synonyms

   appropriateseizeconquer

   Broader terms

   assumeusurpseizetake overarrogate

   Examples

   the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants

   The army seized the town

   More examples (1)

   The militia captured the castle

6. capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping

   Synonyms

   catch

   Broader terms

   getacquire

   Examples

   I caught a rabbit in the trap today