catch

American  

[kach] / kætʃ /

verb (used with object)

• catches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• caught,
  past participle,  past
• catching
  present participle

1. to seize or capture, especially after pursuit: to catch a runaway horse.

   to catch a criminal;

   to catch a runaway horse.

   Synonyms:

   arrest, apprehend

   Antonyms:

   release

2. to trap or ensnare.

   to catch a fish.

3. to intercept and seize; take and hold (something thrown, falling, etc.): a barrel to catch rain.

   to catch a ball;

   a barrel to catch rain.

4. to come upon suddenly; surprise or detect, as in some action.

   I caught him stealing the pumpkin.

5. to receive, incur, or contract.

   to catch a cold.

6. to be in time to get aboard (a train, boat, etc.).

7. to lay hold of; grasp; clasp.

   He caught her in a warm embrace.

   Antonyms:

   release

8. to grip, hook, or entangle.

   The sharp branches caught his clothing.

9. to allow (something) to become gripped, hooked, snagged, or entangled.

   He caught his coat on a nail.

10. to attract or arrest: His speech caught our attention.

    The painting caught his fancy.

    His speech caught our attention.

11. to check or restrain suddenly (often used reflexively): He caught himself before he said the wrong thing.

    She caught her breath in surprise.

    He caught himself before he said the wrong thing.

12. to see or attend.

    to catch a show.

13. to strike; hit.

    The blow caught him on the head.

14. to become inspired by or aware of.

    I caught the spirit of the occasion.

15. to fasten with or as if with a catch.

    to catch the clasp on a necklace.

16. to deceive.

    No one was caught by his sugary words.

17. to attract the attention of; captivate; charm.

    She was caught by his smile and good nature.

    Synonyms:

    win, fascinate, enchant

18. to grasp with the intellect; comprehend.

    She failed to catch his meaning.

19. to hear clearly.

    We caught only snatches of their conversation.

20. to apprehend and record; capture.

    The painting caught her expression perfectly.

21. South Midland and Southern U.S. to assist at the birth of.

    The town doctor caught more than four hundred children before he retired.

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verb (used without object)

• catches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• caught,
  past participle,  past
• catching
  present participle

1. to become gripped, hooked, or entangled.

   Her foot caught in the net.

2. to overtake someone or something moving (usually followed by up, up with, orup to ).

3. to take hold.

   The door lock doesn't catch.

4. Baseball. to play the position of catcher.

   He catches for the Yankees.

5. to become lighted; take fire; ignite.

   The kindling caught instantly.

6. to become established, as a crop or plant, after germination and sprouting.

noun

• catches
  plural

1. the act of catching.

   Synonyms:

   arrest, apprehension, capture

2. anything that catches, especially a device for checking motion, as a latch on a door.

   Synonyms:

   bolt, ratchet

3. any tricky or concealed drawback.

   It seems so easy that there must be a catch somewhere.

4. a slight, momentary break or crack in the voice.

5. that which is caught, as a quantity of fish.

   The fisherman brought home a large catch.

6. a person or thing worth getting, especially a person regarded as a desirable matrimonial prospect.

   My mother thinks Pat would be quite a catch.

7. a game in which a ball is thrown from one person to another: to have a catch.

   to play catch;

   to have a catch.

8. a fragment.

   catches of a song.

9. Music. a round, especially one in which the words are so arranged as to produce ludicrous effects.

10. Sports. the catching and holding of a batted or thrown ball before it touches the ground.

11. Rowing. the first part of the stroke, consisting of the placing of the oar into the water.

12. Agriculture. the establishment of a crop from seed.

    a catch of clover.

adjective

1. catchy.

verb phrase

1. catch at to grasp at eagerly; accept readily.

   He caught at the chance to get free tickets.

2. catch out to catch or discover (a person) in deceit or an error.

3. catch on

   1. to become popular.

      That new song is beginning to catch on.

   2. to grasp mentally; understand.

      You'd think he'd catch on that he's boring us.

   3. New England. (in cooking) to scorch or burn slightly; sear.

      A pot roast is better if allowed to catch on.

4. catch up

   1. to lift or snatch suddenly.

      Leaves were caught up in the wind.

   2. to bring or get up to date (often followed by on orwith ).

      to catch up on one's reading.

   3. to come up to or overtake (something or someone) (usually followed bywith ).

      to catch up with the leader in a race.

   4. to become involved or entangled with.

      caught up in the excitement of the crowd.

   5. to point out to (a person) minor errors, untruths, etc. (usually followed byon ).

      We caught the teacher up on a number of factual details.

   6. Falconry. to capture for further training (a hawk that has been flown at hack).

   7. South Midland and Southern U.S. to harness (a horse or mule).

idioms

1. catch lightning in a bottle. see catch lightning in a bottle.

2. catch a turn, to wind a rope around a bitt, capstan, etc., for one full turn.

3. catch a crab, (in rowing) to bungle a stroke by failing to get the oar into the water at the beginning or by failing to withdraw it properly at the end.

4. catch one’s death (of cold). death.

5. catch it, to receive a reprimand or punishment.

   He'll catch it from his mother for tearing his good trousers again.

catch British  

/ kætʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to take hold of so as to retain or restrain

   he caught the ball

2. (tr) to take, seize, or capture, esp after pursuit

3. (tr) to ensnare or deceive, as by trickery

4. (tr) to surprise or detect in an act

   he caught the dog rifling the larder

5. (tr) to reach with a blow

   the stone caught him on the side of the head

6. (tr) to overtake or reach in time to board

   if we hurry we should catch the next bus

7. (tr) to see or hear; attend

   I didn't catch the Ibsen play

8. (tr) to be infected with

   to catch a cold

9. to hook or entangle or become hooked or entangled

   her dress caught on a nail

10. to fasten or be fastened with or as if with a latch or other device

11. (tr) to attract or arrest

    she tried to catch his eye

12. (tr) to comprehend

    I didn't catch his meaning

13. (tr) to hear accurately

    I didn't catch what you said

14. (tr) to captivate or charm

15. (tr) to perceive and reproduce accurately

    the painter managed to catch his model's beauty

16. (tr) to hold back or restrain

    he caught his breath in surprise

17. (intr) to become alight

    the fire won't catch

18. (tr) cricket to dismiss (a batsman) by intercepting and holding a ball struck by him before it touches the ground

19. 1. to grasp or attempt to grasp

    2. to take advantage (of), esp eagerly

       he caught at the chance

20. informal (intr; used passively) to make pregnant

21. informal to be scolded or reprimanded

22. slang to realize that one's actions are mistaken

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noun

1. the act of catching or grasping

2. a device that catches and fastens, such as a latch

3. anything that is caught, esp something worth catching

4. the amount or number caught

5. informal a person regarded as an eligible matrimonial prospect

6. a check or break in the voice

7. a break in a mechanism

8. informal

   1. a concealed, unexpected, or unforeseen drawback or handicap

   2. ( as modifier )

      a catch question

9. a game in which a ball is thrown from one player to another

10. cricket the catching of a ball struck by a batsman before it touches the ground, resulting in him being out

11. music a type of round popular in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, having a humorous text that is often indecent or bawdy and hard to articulate See round canon 1

catch More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing catch

• caught
• early bird catches the worm
• get (catch) the drift
• takes one to know one (a thief to catch a thief)

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Synonym Usage

Catch, clutch, grasp, seize imply taking hold suddenly of something. To catch may be to reach after and get: He caught my hand. To clutch is to take firm hold of (often out of fear or nervousness), and retain: The child clutched her mother's hand. To grasp also suggests both getting and keeping hold of, with a connotation of eagerness and alertness, rather than fear (literally or figuratively): to grasp someone's hand in welcome; to grasp an idea. To seize implies the use of force or energy in taking hold of suddenly (literally or figuratively): to seize a criminal; to seize an opportunity.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outcatch
  verb (used with object)
• catchable
  adjective
• uncatchable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• catches
  plural

Participles

• catching
  present
• caught
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• catch
  simple
• catches
  simple
• have caught
  perfect
• has caught
  perfect
• am catching
  progressive
• are catching
  progressive
• is catching
  progressive
• have been catching
  perfect progressive
• has been catching
  perfect progressive

Past

• caught
  simple
• had caught
  perfect
• was catching
  progressive
• were catching
  progressive
• had been catching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will catch
  simple
• will have caught
  perfect
• will be catching
  progressive
• will have been catching
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of catch

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English cacchen “to chase, capture,” from Old North French cachier, from unattested Vulgar Latin captiāre, for Latin captāre “to grasp at, seek out, try to catch,” frequentative of capere “to take”

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Explanation

When you catch something, you grasp it or seize it in your hands, the way you catch a basketball when your friend throws it to you. As a verb, catch describes grabbing and holding on. Adding the preposition on means you understand something, like when you catch on to your little brother's scheme to get out of doing chores, or to describe something that's getting popular, like a pop song that catches on then becomes a huge hit. If someone tells you there's a catch, it means there is a complication, but if a person is a catch, he or she makes a good romantic partner.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catch catches caught catching

But there’s a catch: That same demand appears to be straining supplies, delaying deliveries and contributing to higher prices, reports MarketWatch’s Jeff Bartash.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

Instead, it’s a great day to catch up on how we got to this moment, what this election means, and what’s at stake.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets along the seabed to catch fish, although it can harm underwater vegetation.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

A 12-yard touchdown pass to Olson and the one-point catch by Vanderweerd made it 27-6.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

Prisoners, desperate for food, catch rats and pigeons and eat them.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

"I'm a bit of a magpie. I like collecting things off the street or anywhere that there's a freebie. If I see something that catches my eye, then I'll grab it."

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

In the opening match, against Pakistan, dropped catches and poor strokes left them well beaten in a contest they could have won.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

The three-time All-Pro, who led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches last season, has 30 receptions for 480 yards and four touchdowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Harrison’s breakout came in 202 when he led the Big Ten with 14 touchdown catches with Stroud as his quarterback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

I’m just about to try the next room when something on the little table by the front door catches my eye.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Blunt says there was more to the sequence than viewers realised, hinting that Acaster was caught in a fib about a perfume bottle used in the murderous act.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

As stylishly costumed by Karen Young and caught in Dan Scully’s striking lighting, all seemed forces of nature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Two-way senior standout Avery Olson caught two touchdown passes and intercepted two passes against No. 4 Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

In 2017, reporters at the Washington Post caught him trying to sell them a false story.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

When Ermelo had finally caught on to him, he had come to Haarlem and teamed up with Willemse and Kapteyn.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

That’s an indication of how Palantir’s AI software is catching on, particularly with businesses.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

As this followed a similarly challenging final year for Mercedes, it inevitably led to questions about his future, whether age was catching up with him.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

“Taiwan is having a really hard time catching up right now,” said Su.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

But it faces three threats: rivals that are catching up, prices that are collapsing, and bills that keep climbing.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

How did you do it, without Mom catching you?

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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Related Words

• arrest
• capture
• grab
• pick
• seize
• snag
• snare
• take
• trap

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