caption

1 of 2

noun

cap·​tion ˈkap-shən 

1

: the part of a legal document that shows where, when, and by what authority it was taken, found, or executed

2

a

: the heading especially of an article or document : title

b

: the explanatory comment or designation accompanying a pictorial illustration

read the caption for the names of the people in the picture

c

: a movie or television show subtitle

captionless

ˈkap-shən-ləs 

adjective

caption

2 of 2

verb

captioned; captioning ˈkap-sh(ə-)niŋ  ; captions

transitive verb

: to furnish with a caption

… confirm that photographs are correctly captioned and pages numbered sequentially.

—Publishers Weekly

… the captions and pictures are frequently out of sync, and the live local weather and sports segments are usually not captioned.

—Melvia M. and Ronald E. Nomeland

Synonyms

Noun

• cutline
• legend

Examples of caption in a Sentence

Noun

The caption on the picture says “This year's contest winners.”

for the school yearbook, funny captions were written for snapshots showing a typical day at school

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Kotb let the photo speak for itself, not writing out a caption. —Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025

While translations require an internet connection, the glasses can generate captions even when your phone is offline. —Will Greenwald, PCMAG, 8 Jan. 2025

Verb

James captioned the festive post, which also included snaps of Jessa Duggar and husband Ben Seewald, John Duggar and wife Abbie's son Charlie, Jason Duggar and Jeremiah Duggar. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025

Trending on Billboard Fans, of course, were more than happy to weigh in after George captioned the post with a request for any help his followers might be able offer. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

probably short for certificate of caption (taking, seizure)

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1848, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

caption

noun

cap·​tion

ˈkap-shən

1

: the heading especially of an article or document

2

: the explanation or description accompanying a pictorial illustration (as a cartoon or photograph)

3

: subtitle sense 2

caption verb

Legal Definition

caption

noun

cap·​tion ˈkap-shən 

: the part of a legal document that states the court, the names of the parties, the docket number, the title of the document, and sometimes the name of the judge

Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin captio act of taking, from Latin capere to take