capture
gb/kˈæpt͡ʃɚ/ us/kˈæpt͡ʃɚ/
B1
English
~ 2800
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
To take control by force
To take and keep someone or something by using force.
Usage pattern:
to capture [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'capture' with 'catch'; 'catch' is more general and used for everyday situations, while 'capture' often implies force or planning.
Synonyms
seize (Very close in meaning but can also imply taking quickly without necessarily using force.)
Antonyms
release (Means to let go or free someone or something that was held.)
Collocations
capture a city
|capture a criminal
|capture the enemy
Themes
military
|crime
|sports
|law
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The police captured the suspect after a long chase.
- The army captured the city in two days.
- They managed to capture the escaped tiger.
Learner examples
- The police captured the man.
- Soldiers captured the town.
- We captured the dog that ran away.
Verb
B1
action
2
To record or store information
To take a picture, record sound, or save information using a machine.
Usage pattern:
to capture [an image/sound/data]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'capture' with 'take' in photography; 'take' is more common in everyday speech, but 'capture' is often used for emphasis or artistry.
Synonyms
record (More general; does not carry the visual emphasis that 'capture' sometimes has.)
Antonyms
erase (Means to remove or delete something recorded.)
Collocations
capture a photo
|capture a moment
|capture data
Themes
technology
|media
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She captured the sunset on her phone.
- The microphone captured every detail of his voice.
- The software captures user data for analysis.
Learner examples
- I captured a photo of the bird.
- The camera captured my smile.
- The computer captures the numbers.
Verb
B2
action
3
To convey something precisely
To show or describe something so well that it feels real or true.
Usage pattern:
to capture [the feeling/spirit/essence] of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with physical capture; here it is about representation, not taking control.
Synonyms
convey (Focuses on communicating an idea; less about exact representation.)
Antonyms
distort (Means to change something so it is no longer accurate.)
Collocations
capture the essence
|capture the spirit
|capture the mood
Themes
art
|communication
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The painting captures the spirit of the countryside.
- Her words captured the mood of the meeting perfectly.
- The movie captures the essence of the novel.
Learner examples
- The photo captures her smile.
- The writer captures the feeling of love.
- The song captures my mood.
Noun
B1
action
4
The act of taking control by force
When someone takes and keeps a person, animal, or place by using force.
Synonyms
seizure (A formal term for taking control, often used in legal or military contexts.)
Antonyms
release (Refers to freeing someone or something from control.)
Collocations
the capture of [someone/something]
|enemy capture
Themes
military
|crime
|law
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The capture of the general ended the war.
- News of his capture spread quickly.
- Her capture was seen as a major victory.
Learner examples
- The capture of the city was fast.
- We heard about his capture on TV.
- The police celebrated their capture of the thief.
Noun
B1
entity
5
A recorded image, sound, or file
A photo, sound, video, or information saved by a machine.
Synonyms
recording (General term for any preserved audio, video, or data.)
Antonyms
deletion (Means removing stored content from a device.)
Collocations
screen capture
|image capture
Themes
technology
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He sent me a screen capture of the error message.
- The capture shows the moment she crossed the line.
- This photo capture is from last summer.
Learner examples
- I took a screen capture.
- This is a capture of my game score.
- Look at this capture from my phone.
Grammar
Dictionary form
capture
IPA
GB/kˈæpt͡ʃɚ/
US/kˈæpt͡ʃɚ/
Syllables & stress
cap - ture (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (cap)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: capture
- Plural: capture, captures
Verb
- Base: capture
- 3rd Person Singular: captures
- Present Participle: capturing
- Past: captured
Word family
Expressions
capture someone's attention
1/kˈæpt͡ʃɚ sˈʌmwˌʌnz ətˈɛnʃən/
fixed phrase
To make someone notice you or it
To make someone look at or listen to you carefully.
Examples
- The bright colors captured my attention immediately.
- The speaker's story captured everyone's attention.
on capture
1/ˈɔn kˈæpt͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
When something is caught/taken in context-specific use
When something is caught or taken in certain systems like games or computers.
Examples
- The program runs a script on capture of new data.
- In chess, on capture means when you take a piece.
capture the imagination
1/kˈæpt͡ʃɚ ðə ɪmˌæd͡ʒɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
To fascinate and inspire creativity
To make someone very interested and full of new ideas.
Examples
- The book captured the imagination of young readers.
- The story captured the imagination of children around the world.
- Space travel has always captured the imagination of scientists.
- Her performance captured the audience's imagination.