capture
Noun:
- The act of taking something or someone by force or through skill: "capture" can refer to the act of seizing control, possession, or custody of a person, animal, or object.
- The thing or person taken: "capture" can also refer to the person, animal, or object that has been taken.
- A specific technical process: In physics and astronomy, it refers to a process where a particle or celestial body is acquired by another through a force like gravity.
Verb:
- To take something or someone by force or skill: The most common meaning, involving seizing control or possession.
- To succeed in recording, representing, or expressing something: "capture" can mean to successfully record a moment, feeling, or idea in a permanent form like a photo, video, or description.
- To attract and hold attention or interest: To gain and keep someone's focus or affection.
Noun:
- The capture of the city marked a turning point in the war.
- The photographer's most famous capture was a rare bird in flight.
- Electron capture is a type of radioactive decay.
Verb:
- The army sought to capture the enemy fortress.
- This painting perfectly captures the sadness of the moment.
- Her story captured the imagination of the entire nation.
"Capture the flag": A popular outdoor game where teams try to seize the opposing team's flag.
- We used to play capture the flag in the woods as kids.
"Data capture": The process of collecting information and converting it into a digital format.
- The new software automates data capture from paper forms.
"To capture someone's heart": To make someone fall in love with you.
- He completely captured her heart with his kindness.
Captor (n): A person or entity that captures someone or something.
- The captor demanded a ransom for the hostage.
Captive (n/adj): A person who has been captured; or the state of being imprisoned or confined.
- The captives were held for three years.
- A captive audience.
Recapture (v): To capture something or someone again.
- The company hopes to recapture its former market share.
- Seize: To take hold of suddenly and forcibly.
- Apprehend: To arrest or take into custody (often used for people).
- Trap: To catch or ensnare.
(Note: "Capture" is not commonly used with particles to form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically conveyed directly.)
Capture lightning in a bottle: To achieve something nearly impossible, like preserving a fleeting moment of genius or success.
- The director captured lightning in a bottle with that low-budget film.
A captive market: A group of consumers who have no choice but to buy a particular product or service.
- The prison commissary has a captive market.
- the removal of an opponent's piece from the chess board
- the act of taking of a person by force
- any process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle
- a process whereby a star or planet holds an object in its gravitational field
- the act of forcibly dispossessing an owner of property
- capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping
- I caught a rabbit in the trap today
- take possession of by force, as after an invasion
- the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants
- The army seized the town
- The militia captured the castle
- bring about the capture of an elementary particle or celestial body and causing it enter a new orbit
- This nucleus has captured the slow-moving neutrons
- The star captured a comet
- succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase
- We finally got the suspect
- Did you catch the thief?
- attract; cause to be enamored
- She captured all the men's hearts
- succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
- capture the essence of Spring
- capture an idea