caption

1 of 2

noun

cap·​tion ˈkap-shən How to pronounce caption (audio)
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 adjective

caption

2 of 2

verb

captioned; captioning ˈkap-sh(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce caption (audio) ; 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

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
Both parents uploaded photos on Instagram, sharing many of the same sweet images, but adding their own heartfelt captions. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 In the reel's caption, McConnell reveals that the piece took him about 26 hours in total, finished over the span of a week. Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024 The posts shared by Rui Jiang — including a video of a Bible burning on a stove and photos of Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Virginia, with concerning captions — prompted her to call the police Sept. 24, according to court documents. Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 My caption for the photographs returned the reader to what is the work of fiction, a certain play, creating a world of make-believe. Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024 The date of the event will be posted in the coming days, according to the post caption. Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 On Monday, the company started a challenge in which customers have to uncover 29 hidden keywords in the content and captions on Chipotle's Instagram account. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024 In the video, the Migos star is seen bobbing his head and loving the music with a satisfied stank face on, and since the video had no audio, viewers were left to their imagination in interpreting the caption. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2024 Brittany also shared a series of photos for her daughter's birthday, taking a minute to celebrate Sterling in the caption. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Wright captioned the photo, adding a red heart emoji. Effie Orfanides, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 The 34-year-old captioned it with a pink heart emoji. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Prince William’s team captioned a montage of the ceremony on Instagram. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 The picture captions with an article on Page 102 about pointy shoes are ordered incorrectly. New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 Randi captioned the clip, adding a location tag of the NFL Honors, indicating that the fun moment was from her attendance at the Thursday event. Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2024 Chloe captioned the TikTok, which appeared to have been filmed in a hotel room, with a series of crying with laughter emojis. Nathan Vinson, Peoplemag, 22 Jan. 2024 Agassi captioned a carousel of photos and video from the event on Instagram. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 15 Jan. 2024 As the photos in the slideshow played, Inaba captioned each shot with a different phrase. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 6 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caption.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of caption was circa 1670

Dictionary Entries Near caption

Cite this Entry

“Caption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caption. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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
caption verb

Legal Definition

caption

noun
cap·​tion ˈkap-shən How to pronounce caption (audio)
: 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

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