1 VERB If you capture someone or something, you catch them, especially in a war. □ [V n] The guerrillas shot down one aeroplane and captured the pilot. □ [V n + from ] The United States captured Puerto Rico from the Spaniards in 1898. □ [V -ed] …the murders of fifteen thousand captured Polish soldiers. ● N‑UNCOUNT [oft with poss] Capture is also a noun. □ [+ of ] …the final battles which led to the army's capture of the town. □ [+ by ] The shooting happened while the man was trying to evade capture by the security forces.
2 VERB [no cont] If something or someone captures a particular quality, feeling, or atmosphere, they represent or express it successfully. □ [be V -ed + by ] The mood was captured by a cartoon in the New York Post.
3 VERB If something captures your attention or imagination, you begin to be interested or excited by it. If someone or something captures your heart, you begin to love them or like them very much. □ [V n] …the great names of the Tory party who usually capture the historian's attention. □ [V n] …one man's undying love for the woman who captured his heart.
4 VERB If an event is captured in a photograph or on film, it is photographed or filmed. □ [be V -ed + on/in ] The incident was captured on video. □ [be V -ed] The images were captured by TV crews filming outside the base. □ [V n] …photographers who captured the traumatic scene. [Also V n + on/in ]
5 VERB If you capture something that you are trying to obtain in competition with other people, you succeed in obtaining it. □ [V n] The company aims to capture more sales at a time of significant challenges in the supermarket sector. SYNONYMS capture VERB 1
catch: Police say they are confident of catching the gunman.
arrest: The police say seven people were arrested for minor offences.
seize: Men carrying sub-machine guns seized the five soldiers and drove them away.
apprehend: Police have not apprehended her killer.
car ◆◆◆ /kɑː r / (cars )
1 N‑COUNT [oft by N ] A car is a motor vehicle with room for a small number of passengers. □ He had left his tickets in his car. □ They arrived by car.
2 N‑COUNT A car is one of the separate sections of a train. [AM ] in BRIT, usually use carriage 3 N‑COUNT Railway carriages are called cars when they are used for a particular purpose. [BRIT ] □ He made his way into the dining car for breakfast.
4 → see also cable car
ca|rafe /kəræ f/ (carafes ) N‑COUNT A carafe is a glass container in which you serve water or wine. □ [+ of ] He ordered a carafe of water.
ca r alarm (car alarms ) N‑COUNT A car alarm is a device in a car which makes a loud noise if anyone tries to break into the vehicle. □ He returned to find his car alarm going off.
cara|mel /kæ rəmel/ (caramels )
1 N‑VAR A caramel is a chewy sweet food made from sugar, butter, and milk.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Caramel is burnt sugar used for colouring and flavouring food.
cara|mel|ize /kæ rəməla I z/ (caramelizes , caramelizing , caramelized ) in BRIT, also use caramelise 1 VERB If sugar caramelizes , it turns to caramel as a result of being heated. □ [V ] Cook until the sugar starts to caramelize.
2 VERB If you caramelize something such as fruit, you cook it with sugar so that it is coated with caramel. □ [V n] Start by caramelizing some onions. □ [V -ed] …caramelised apples.
cara|pace /kæ rəpe I s/ (carapaces )
1 N‑COUNT A carapace is the protective shell on the back of some animals such as tortoises or crabs. [FORMAL ]
2 N‑COUNT You can refer to an attitude that someone has in order to protect themselves as their carapace . [LITERARY ] □ The arrogance became his protective carapace.
car|at /kæ rət/ (carats )
1 N‑COUNT A carat is a unit for measuring the weight of diamonds and other precious stones. It is equal to 0.2 grams. □ The gemstone is 28.6 millimetres high and weighs 139.43 carats. □ …a huge eight-carat diamond.
2 COMB Carat is used after a number to indicate how pure gold is. The purest gold is 24-carat gold. □ …a 14-carat gold fountain pen.
cara|van /kæ rəvæn/ (caravans )
1 N‑COUNT A caravan is a vehicle without an engine that can be pulled by a car or van. It contains beds and cooking equipment so that people can live or spend their holidays in it. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, usually use trailer 2 N‑COUNT A caravan is a group of people and animals or vehicles who travel together.
cara|van|ning /kæ rəvæn I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Caravanning is the activity of having a holiday in a caravan. [BRIT ] □ He was on a caravanning holiday.
ca ra|van site (caravan sites ) N‑COUNT A caravan site is an area of land where people can stay in a caravan on holiday, or where people live in caravans. [BRIT ] in AM, use trailer park
cara|way /kæ rəwe I / N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Caraway is a plant with strong-tasting seeds that are used in cooking. Caraway seeds are often used to flavour bread and cakes.
carb /kɑː r b/ (carbs ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Carbs are foods such as potatoes, pasta, and bread, that contain a lot of carbohydrate. □ Eat a wide variety of carbs, fruit, and vegetables.
car|bine /kɑː r ba I n, [AM ] -biː n/ (carbines ) N‑COUNT A carbine is a light automatic rifle.