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
The captions were in Comic Sans, leading to a Twitter storm. Simon Garfield, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2024 On Sunday, the Camden County Sheriff's Office shared photos from the rescue efforts, alongside a caption on Facebook. Bailey Richards, People.com, 20 Oct. 2024
Verb
Khloé captioned the photo, adding a link to her posts on Snapchat. Catherine Santino, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024 King captioned a photo and video slideshow of the celebrations, following the taping of the special in Atlanta. Jen Juneau, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for caption 

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 31 Oct. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on caption

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!