caption
KAP-shun
/ˈkæpʃən/
The text accompanied by an image or video post on social media platforms.
Captions provide context, commentary, hashtags, or calls to action for visual media posts.
The story behind the word. Originally referring to a legal arrest warrant in Middle English, the word shifted in publishing to mean a heading that 'captures' the essence of an illustration or text.
Word relationships
- description: Description explains what something is; a caption specifically accompanies visual media.
Commonly confused with
- headline: A headline introduces an article; a caption sits beside or underneath media.
Word family
- captioned (adjective): Provided with a caption.
Collocations
- photo caption
- write a caption
- witty caption
Example sentences
- "A witty caption can make a photo far more memorable to followers." Social publishing
Memory hook
CAPtion CAPtures the meaning behind a picture. Words that capture the picture.
When not to use
Do not confuse with subtitles, which transcribe spoken dialog in real-time.
Fun facts
- Posts with engaging captions receive up to 50% more comments than image-only posts on major social feeds.
Explore more words
commentary, postscript, meme, content creator, image, voiceover
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.