English · Word Candidate

caption

/ˈkæp.ʃən/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: captions · captioning · captioned

Sense 1

Meaning · English

The descriptive heading or title, of a document or part thereof.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

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

Noun

Some of the photographs are new and interesting, but many captions are amateurish, uninformative or simply careless.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

To add captions to a text or illustration.

Verb

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

To add captions to a film or broadcast.

Verb

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

What does “caption” mean?

The descriptive heading or title, of a document or part thereof.

Is “caption” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.