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Glite Dictionary
to capture the moment

to capture the moment

5 3.7
To take a photo or short video that shows the scene and people's feelings clearly
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : captar el momento
  • The photographer managed to capture the moment when the baby took its first steps.
  • camera to capture the moment
  • video captured the moment
  • the photographer who captured the moment

It's literally which words do you choose in a description paragraph to capture the moment?

Examples

Synonyms

to capture
vsto capture the moment
255 3.4

To show an idea, feeling, or quality clearly

focuses on perfectly preserving one specific time and feeling
to photograph
vsto capture the moment
202 2.1

To take a picture of a person, place, or thing with a camera

intends to keep the original moment's feeling and time perfectly
to take a picture
vsto capture the moment
166 1.4

To make a photo using a camera

emphasizes preserving the scene together with its feeling and moment perfectly
to freeze that moment
vsto capture the moment
6.0

Keep a memory exactly as it happened so you can remember it forever

aims to preserve both time and feeling perfectly rather than only an image

Antonyms

to forget
∞ 1.0

Not remember something you should remember

to neglect
256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Preserved

to document
365 3.4
to record
762 2.3
to capture the moment
5 3.7
to snap
  • Informal
47 2.8

Surface Forms

capture the moment infinitive
captured the moment past
captured the moment past participle
capturing the moment present participle
captures the moment third person singular

Morphology

capture + the + moment

The meaning is directly derivable from 'capture' (to record/seize) plus 'moment' (a brief time): it literally means to record or preserve a particular time or feeling. This verb + noun composition is common cross-linguistically and follows transparent semantic composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Capture the moment comes from taking pictures: imagine a camera that captures a quick moment, like catching a small scene and keeping it just as it was. So, it means 'to take a photo or make a record that keeps a special time or feeling'.