Capture


to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize:
The police captured the burglar.
to gain control of or exert influence over:
an ad that captured our attention; a TV show that captured 30% of the prime-time audience.
to take possession of, as in a game or contest:
to capture a pawn in chess.
to represent or record in lasting form:
The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.
Computers.

to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.
to record (data) in preparation for such entry.

the act of capturing.
the thing or person captured.
Physics. the process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle.
Crystallography. substitution in a crystal lattice of a trace element for an element of lower valence.
Contemporary Examples

The actual link between the use of harsh interrogation techniques and the capture of Osama bin Laden is a matter of deep dispute.
Republicans Use Bin Laden in Pre-Emptive Strike on CIA ‘Torture Report’ Josh Rogin August 4, 2014

Cuarón and Lubezki explored several options to capture the “disorienting effect.”
Alfonso Cuarón on the Making of His Instant Sci-Fi Classic ‘Gravity’ Marlow Stern October 2, 2013

Frank Langella did capture the brooding quality, the brooding intelligence which Nixon had.
Diane Sawyer on Fact vs. Fiction in Frost/Nixon Lynn Sherr December 5, 2008

How do we capture the totality of the thing in a handful of words?
Fire and Forget: After Homecoming, Veterans Collect Stories of War Roy Scranton November 25, 2012

But, as Alex Klein writes, it already fails to capture our real unemployment woes.
What the August Jobs Number Misses Alex Klein September 5, 2012

Historical Examples

The triumph of the Castle was completed by the capture of Neilson and the Sheares.
William Pitt and the Great War John Holland Rose

You may stay in here in this grave for the Yankees to find if they capture Morro as they say they will.
A Prisoner of Morro Upton Sinclair

The capture of the two was so easy that it suggested a farce.
The Launch Boys’ Adventures in Northern Waters Edward S. Ellis

What it meant to him may be imagined—the failure of all their hopes—their capture and death!
A Prisoner of Morro Upton Sinclair

That wouldn’t prevent them from trying to capture the golden skull, anyway.
The Golden Skull John Blaine

verb (transitive)
to take prisoner or gain control over: to capture an enemy, to capture a town
(in a game or contest) to win control or possession of: to capture a pawn in chess
to succeed in representing or describing (something elusive): the artist captured her likeness
(physics) (of an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus) to acquire (an additional particle)
to insert or transfer (data) into a computer
noun
the act of taking by force; seizure
the person or thing captured; booty
(physics) a process by which an atom, molecule, ion, or nucleus acquires an additional particle
(geography) Also called piracy. the process by which the headwaters of one river are diverted into another through erosion caused by the second river’s tributaries
the act or process of inserting or transferring data into a computer
n.

1540s, from Middle French capture “a taking,” from Latin captura “a taking” (especially of animals), from captus (see captive).
v.

1795, from capture (n.); in chess, checkers, etc., 1820. Related: Captured; capturing. Earlier verb in this sense was captive (early 15c.).

capture cap·ture (kāp’chər)
n.
The act of catching, taking, or holding a particle or impulse.

Read Also:

  • Captures

    to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize: The police captured the burglar. to gain control of or exert influence over: an ad that captured our attention; a TV show that captured 30% of the prime-time audience. to take possession of, as in a game or contest: to capture a pawn in chess. to […]

  • Capture-the-flag

    noun a game in which two teams each hide a flag and then try to find the other team’s flag without being captured and imprisoned

  • Capua

    a town in NW Campania, in S Italy, N of Naples. Historical Examples It was with difficulty that Garibaldi, placing himself again at the head of his forces, drove the enemy back to Capua. History of Modern Europe 1972-1878 C. A. Fyffe There is even some ground for believing that in New York he had […]

  • Capuana

    noun Luigi. 1839–1915, Italian realist novelist, dramatist, and critic. His works include the novel Giacinta (1879) and the play Malia (1895) Historical Examples The second school of this kind organized was that of San Onofrio a capuana, in 1576. A Popular History of the Art of Music W. S. B. Mathews

  • Capuche

    a hood or cowl, especially the long, pointed cowl of the Capuchins. Historical Examples From their hood (capuche) they received the popular name of Capuchins. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 Various noun a large hood or cowl, esp that worn by Capuchin friars


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