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Webster 1913 Edition


Capture

Cap′ture

,
Noun.
[L.
capture
, fr.
caper
to take: cf. F.
capture
. See
Caitiff
, and cf.
aptive
.]
1.
The act of seizing by force, or getting possession of by superior power or by stratagem;
as, the
capture
of an enemy, a vessel, or a criminal
.
Even with regard to
captures
made at sea.
Bluckstone.
2.
The securing of an object of strife or desire, as by the power of some attraction.
Syn. – Seizure; apprehension; arrest; detention.

Cap′ture

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Captured
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Capturing
.]
1.
To seize or take possession of by force, surprise, or stratagem; to overcome and hold; to secure by effort.
Her heart is like some fortress that has been
captured
.
W. Ivring.

Webster 1828 Edition


Capture

CAPTURE

,
Noun.
1.
In a general sense, the act of taking or seizing; as the capture of an enemy, of a ship, or of booty, by force, surprise or stratagem.
2.
The thing taken; a prize; prey taken by force, surprise or stratagem.
3.
Seizure; arrest as the capture of a criminal or debtor.

CAPTURE

,
Verb.
T.
To take or seize by force, surprise or stratagem, as an enemy or his property; to take by force under the authority of a commission; as to capture a ship.

Definition 2024


capture

capture

See also: capturé

English

Noun

capture (plural captures)

  1. An act of capturing; a seizing by force or stratagem.
    • Blackstone
      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.
    the capture of a lover's heart
  3. Something that has been captured; a captive.
  4. The recording or storage of something for later playback.
    video capture
  5. (computing) A particular match found for a pattern in a text string.

Translations

Verb

capture (third-person singular simple present captures, present participle capturing, simple past and past participle captured)

  1. To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem.
    to capture an enemy, a vessel, or a criminal
    • 2014, Ian Black, "Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis", The Guardian, 27 November 2014:
      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.
  2. To store (as in sounds or image) for later revisitation.
    She captured the sounds of a subway station on tape.
    She captured the details of the fresco in a series of photographs.
  3. To reproduce convincingly.
    His film adaptation captured the spirit of the original work.
    In her latest masterpiece, she captured the essence of Venice.
  4. To remove or take control of an opponent’s piece in a game (e.g., chess, go, checkers).
    My pawn was captured.
    He captured his opponent’s queen on the 15th move.
    • 1954, Fred Reinfeld, How to Be a Winner at Chess, page 63, Hanover House (Garden City, NY)
      How deeply ingrained capturing is in the mind of a chess master can be seen from this story.

Translations

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Anagrams


French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin captūra (catching, capture), from captus, perfect passive participle of capiō (capture, seize, take).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kap.tyʁ/

Noun

capture f (plural captures)

  1. capture
  2. a catch, a take

Derived terms

Anagrams


Latin

Participle

captūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of captūrus

Portuguese

Verb

capture

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of capturar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of capturar
  3. first-person singular imperative of capturar
  4. third-person singular imperative of capturar

Spanish

Verb

capture

  1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of capturar.
  2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of capturar.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of capturar.
  4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of capturar.