to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize

The police captured the burglar.

to gain control of or exert influence over

an ad that captured our attention; a TV show that captured 30% of the prime-time audience.

to take possession of, as in a game or contest

to capture a pawn in chess.

to represent or record in lasting form

The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.

Computers .

to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.

to record (data) in preparation for such entry.

the act of capturing.

the thing or person captured.

Physics . the process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle.

Crystallography . substitution in a crystal lattice of a trace element for an element of lower valence.