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
captioned; captioning
ˈkap-sh(ə-)niŋ 
; captions
; captions
: to furnish with a caption
… confirm that photographs are correctly captioned and pages numbered sequentially.—
Publishers Weekly
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
Melvia M. and Ronald E. NomelandSynonyms
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
Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
Subtitles and captions for videos and audio descriptions for complex visuals are essential for users who are hard of hearing, visually impaired or those who prefer reading to engage with content.
—Beth Worthy, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 4 Nov. 2024
The actress and social media personality captioned the photo with an engagement ring.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for caption 
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show current usage.
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Noun
The dance pro wished Tran a happy birthday on Sunday, Nov. 24, with a lengthy caption alongside an Instagram video of the Bachelor alum celebrating with a dessert with a sparkler.
—Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024
Subtitles and captions for videos and audio descriptions for complex visuals are essential for users who are hard of hearing, visually impaired or those who prefer reading to engage with content.
—Beth Worthy, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
Watts captioned the post with the diamond ring emoji.
—Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 4 Nov. 2024
The actress and social media personality captioned the photo with an engagement ring.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for caption
Dictionary Entries Near caption
Cite this Entry
“Caption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caption. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
caption
noun
cap·tion
ˈkap-shən
: 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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