Definition of "caption" in English

noun

1. (typography) The descriptive heading or title, of a document or part thereof.

2. A title or brief explanation attached to an illustration, cartoon, user interface element, etc.

3. (cinematography, television) A piece of text appearing on screen as a subtitle or other part of a film or broadcast, describing dialogue (and sometimes other sound) for viewers who cannot hear.

   • (theater, performance production) By analogy, text in a similar system used in a performance venue for transcription of a live event.

4. (law) The section on an official paper (for example, as part of a seizure or capture) that describes when, where, and what was taken, found or executed, and who authorized the act.

5. (obsolete, law) A seizure or capture, especially of tangible property (chattel).

   • 1919 Thomas Welburn Hughes. A treatise on criminal law and procedure. The Bobbs-Merril Co., Indianapolis, IN, USA. Sec. 557 (p. 378). The caption and asportation must be felonious.

6. (Internet) A story that is embedded in a pre-existing image (sometimes with image manipulation)

verb

1. To add captions to a text or illustration.

   • Only once the drawing is done will the letterer caption it.

2. To add captions to a film or broadcast.