The invention provides a content-based video retrieval method and apparatus, and belongs to the field of a computer searching technology. The content-based video retrieval method comprises the steps of performing retrieval on multiple hash tables formed by key frame codes according to any one target key frame code, and determining a key frame code matched with any one target key frame code; calculating a similarity score between any one target key frame code and each matched key frame code; calculating an overall similarity score between a target video and each matched video based on timing sequence information of the key frames according to the similarity score between each target key frame code and each matched key frame code; and taking a matched video corresponding to the overall similarity score which is greater than an adaptive score threshold value as a retrieval result. Video retrieval is performed according to the timing sequence information of the key frames; and different videos with similar partial contents can be distinguished according to the timing sequence relation, so that the accuracy in video retrieval is relatively high, and a relatively good effect in repeated video distinguishing is achieved.