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

Brady, 47, shared a carousel of images of the teenager and his siblings with a heartfelt caption pointing out how dedicated and funny his son is. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024

The caption noted that the public would be able to watch the service on ITV and ITVX Official on Christmas Eve. Middleton gave rare remarks about her health during the Together at Christmas event. —Janelle Ash, Fox News, 7 Dec. 2024

Verb

If someone lets out a big sigh or gasps, these will now be captioned as [sighs] or [gasps], respectively. —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2024

The model has captioned her Instagram photos in multiple languages, bouncing back and forth between them and occasionally straying into other languages that aren’t listed on her résumé. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024

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