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Capture vs Spoils - What's the difference?

capture | spoils | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between capture and spoils

is that capture is an act of capturing; a seizing by force or stratagem while spoils is that which is taken from another by violence; especially, the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage; booty.

As verbs the difference between capture and spoils

is that capture is to take control of; to seize by force or stratagem while spoils is third-person singular of spoil.

capture

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • An act of capturing; a seizing by force or stratagem.
  • * Blackstone
  • even with regard to captures made at sea
  • The securing of an object of strife or desire, as by the power of some attraction.
  • the capture of a lover's heart
  • Something that has been captured; a captive.
  • (computing) A particular match found for a pattern in a text string.
  • Verb

  • To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem.
  • to capture an enemy, a vessel, or a criminal
  • * 2014 , Ian Black, " Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis", The Guardian , 27 November 2014:
  • Arrests and prosecutions intensified after Isis captured Mosul in June, but the groundwork had been laid by an earlier amendment to Jordan’s anti-terrorism law. It is estimated that 2,000 Jordanians have fought and 250 of them have died in Syria – making them the third largest Arab contingent in Isis after Saudi Arabians and Tunisians.
  • To store (as in sounds or image) for later revisitation.
  • She captured the sounds of a subway station on tape.
    She captured the details of the fresco in a series of photographs.
  • To reproduce convincingly.
  • His film adaptation captured the spirit of the original work.
    In her latest masterpiece, she captured the essence of Venice.
  • To remove or take control of an opponent’s piece in a game (e.g., chess, go, checkers).
  • My pawn was captured .
    He captured his opponent’s queen on the 15th move.
  • * 1954 , Fred Reinfeld, How to Be a Winner at Chess , page 63, Hanover House (Garden City, NY)
  • How deeply ingrained capturing is in the mind of a chess master can be seen from this story.

    Derived terms

    * screen capture * capture the flag

    See also

    * take * arrest * apprehend * take over * snapshot

    Anagrams

    * ----

    spoils

    English

    Noun

    (en-plural noun)
  • That which is taken from another by violence; especially, the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage; booty.
  • "Gentle gales, Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole Those balmy spoils." —Milton.
  • Public offices and their benefits regarded as the peculiar property of a successful party or faction, to be bestowed for its own advantage; -- commonly in the plural; as
  • to the victor belong the spoils

    Verb

    (head)
  • (spoil)
  • Milk spoils when left out too long.