From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcapturecap‧ture1 /ˈkæptʃə $ -ər/ ●●○ W3 verb [transitive] 1 CATCHperson to catch a person and keep them as a prisoner Government troops have succeeded in capturing the rebel leader. 40 captured French soldiers► see thesaurus at catch2 PMAplace/thing to get control of a place or object that previously belonged to an enemy, during a war The town was captured after a siege lasting ten days. The Dutch fleet captured two English ships.3 ANIMALanimalCATCH to catch an animal after chasing or following it The tiger was finally captured two miles outside the village.4 BOOK/PAINTING/FILMfilm/record/artASHOW/LET somebody SEE something to succeed in recording, showing, or describing a situation or feeling, using words or pictures These photographs capture the essence of working-class life at the turn of the century. The robbery was captured on police video cameras.5 → capture somebody’s imagination/attention etc6 → capture somebody’s heart7 BUSINESS/POLITICSbusiness/politicsB to get something that previously belonged to one of your competitors We aim to capture eight percent of the UK wine market. Republicans captured three Senate seats from the Democrats. 8 → capture the headlines9 TDcomputer technical to put something in a form that a computer can use The data is captured by an optical scanner.10 CHESSchessDGB to remove one of your opponent’s pieces from the board in chess→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
capture• In one battle, sources say, the rebels captured 100 tons of ammunition.• Mayor Agnos captured 28.7% of the vote.• Rebels wounded 1087 soldiers and captured 417.• The Super Bowl always captures a large audience.• The town of Moulineuf was captured after a siege lasting ten days.• Cole was captured after his plane was shot down outside Hanoi.• At twenty, he went to war against Perugia, where he was captured and imprisoned.• Polay had been captured before, in 1989, but had escaped in July 1990.• The TV camera captured Dad waving as he left the airplane.• She had captured his father by promising an elegant uncluttered lifestyle very different from the neglected unhappy home he had come from.• Many dolphins are accidentally captured in the nets of tuna fishermen.• Wilson's autobiography neatly captures the atmosphere of the late 19th century.• Cuba captured the first gold medal of the Olympic Games.• Cameras have already captured the image.• This gives them overlapping fields of view and the true stereo vision that they need to capture their prey.• They've captured twenty enemy soldiers.capturecapture2 noun [uncountable] 1 CATCHwhen you catch someone in order to make them a prisoner The two soldiers somehow managed to avoid capture.2 PMCONTROLwhen soldiers get control of a place that previously belonged to an enemycapture of the capture of Jerusalem in 10993 when you get control of something that previously belonged to one of your competitors4 when you put information into a form a computer can useExamples from the Corpus
capture• Rendezvous and capture were expected early Thursday.• Any disciplinary action taken for failing to follow procedure would be eclipsed by the success of his capture.• They are offering a reward for information leading to his capture.• Particularly significant was his capture of the Republican vote by 69 %-26 % over McCain.• The government's capture of Toro airstrip near Tabanya has put the displaced almost beyond the reach of help.• The government has offered $500,000 for information leading to Sanchez' capture.• Both met defeat and one suffered capture, thus becoming, in a very real sense, a national liability.• Yet the significance for the ancient Israelites of the capture of the ark went beyond the scope of such attachments.From Longman Business Dictionarycapturecap‧ture /ˈkæptʃə-ər/ verb [transitive]1COMMERCEto get something that previously belonged to one of your competitorsJapanese firms have captured over 60% of the electronics market.2COMPUTING to put something such as information or a picture into a form that a computer can useThe data is captured using an optical scanner. —capture noun [uncountable]a leading maker of bar code data-capture systems→ See Verb tableOrigin capture2 (1500-1600) French Latin captura, from captus; → CAPTIVE1 