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catch

[kach]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR catch ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), caught, catch·ing.

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

to trap or ensnare: to catch a fish.

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

to come upon suddenly; surprise or detect, as in some action: I caught him stealing the pumpkin.

to receive, incur, or contract: to catch a cold.

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

to lay hold of; grasp; clasp: He caught her arm.

to grip, hook, or entangle: The closing door caught his arm.

to allow (something) to become gripped, hooked, snagged, or entangled: He caught his coat on a nail.

to attract or arrest: The painting caught his fancy. His speech caught our attention.

to check or restrain suddenly (often used reflexively): She caught her breath in surprise. He caught himself before he said the wrong thing.

to see or attend: to catch a show.

to strike; hit: The blow caught him on the head.

to become inspired by or aware of: I caught the spirit of the occasion.

to fasten with or as if with a catch: to catch the clasp on a necklace.

to deceive: No one was caught by his sugary words.

to attract the attention of; captivate; charm: She was caught by his smile and good nature.

to grasp with the intellect; comprehend: She failed to catch his meaning.

to hear clearly: We caught snatches of their conversation.

to apprehend and record; capture: The painting caught her expression perfectly.

South Midland and Southern U.S. to assist at the birth of: The town doctor caught more than four hundred children before he retired.

verb (used without object), caught, catch·ing.

to become gripped, hooked, or entangled: Her foot caught in the net.

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

to take hold: The door lock doesn't catch.

Baseball. to play the position of catcher He catches for the Yankees.

to become lighted; take fire; ignite: The kindling caught instantly.

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

noun

the act of catching.

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

any tricky or concealed drawback: It seems so easy that there must be a catch somewhere.

a slight, momentary break or crack in the voice.

that which is caught, as a quantity of fish: The fisherman brought home a large catch.

a person or thing worth getting, especially a person regarded as a desirable matrimonial prospect: My mother thinks Pat would be quite a catch.

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

a fragment: catches of a song.

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

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

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

Agriculture. the establishment of a crop from seed: a catch of clover.

adjective

Verb Phrases

catch at, to grasp at eagerly; accept readily: He caught at the chance to get free tickets.

catch on,

to become popular: That new song is beginning to catch on.
to grasp mentally; understand: You'd think he'd catch on that he's boring us.
New England.(in cooking) to scorch or burn slightly; sear: A pot roast is better if allowed to catch on.

catch out, Chiefly British. to catch or discover (a person) in deceit or an error.

catch up,

to lift or snatch suddenly: Leaves were caught up in the wind.
to bring or get up to date (often followed by on or with): to catch up on one's reading.
to come up to or overtake (something or someone) (usually followed by with): to catch up with the leader in a race.
to become involved or entangled with: caught up in the excitement of the crowd.
to point out to (a person) minor errors, untruths, etc. (usually followed by on): We caught the teacher up on a number of factual details.
Falconry.to capture for further training (a hawk that has been flown at hack).
South Midland and Southern U.S.to harness (a horse or mule).

Idioms

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.

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

catch it, Informal. to receive a reprimand or punishment: He'll catch it from his mother for tearing his good trousers again.

Origin of catch

1175–1225; Middle English cacchen to chase, capture < Old North French cachier < Vulgar Latin *captiāre, for Latin captāre to grasp at, seek out, try to catch, frequentative of capere to take

Related formscatch·a·ble, adjectiveout·catch, verb (used with object), out·caught, out·catch·ing.un·catch·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for catch

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR catch ON THESAURUS.COM

1. apprehend, arrest. 17. enchant, fascinate, win. 28. capture, apprehension, arrest. 29. ratchet, bolt.

Synonym study

7. 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.

Antonyms for catch

1, 7, 28. release.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for catch

snap, hook, snag, capture, seize, arrest, take, pick, grab, snare, trap, detect, spot, get, overtake, make, reach, pass, apprehend, follow

Examples from the Web for catch

Contemporary Examples of catch

They all immediately dashed out to their car to catch the bad guys.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown
Michael Daly
January 7, 2015
“The government just wanted to catch the big fish [in the Juarez cartel] and they ignored everything in between,” Lozoya said.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro
Bill Conroy
January 6, 2015
From a lyrical standpoint, there are precious few that can catch Kendrick.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More
Marlow Stern
December 31, 2014
With Rick, I think the culture just lags behind great artists much of the time, and it takes time for it to catch up.
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange
Marlow Stern
December 27, 2014
In the last few years, the character has begun to catch on in America, even turning up on a recent episode of American Dad.
Meet Krampus, the Seriously Bad Santa
Jay Michaelson
December 5, 2014

Historical Examples of catch

The first thing I am going to do is to catch some fish, if you'll lend me your boat.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
She said all was cold in the church, and nothing to catch hold on there.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
But every evening, towards bedtime, she came into the garden to catch Mimi.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
Of the Infinite the finite mind can only catch a finite glimpse.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
I catch a glimpse of the grandness of your sister's meaning.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden

British Dictionary definitions for catch

catch

verb catches, catching or caught

(tr) to take hold of so as to retain or restrainhe caught the ball

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

(tr) to ensnare or deceive, as by trickery

(tr) to surprise or detect in an acthe caught the dog rifling the larder

(tr) to reach with a blowthe stone caught him on the side of the head

(tr) to overtake or reach in time to boardif we hurry we should catch the next bus

(tr) to see or hear; attendI didn't catch the Ibsen play

(tr) to be infected withto catch a cold

to hook or entangle or become hooked or entangledher dress caught on a nail

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

(tr) to attract or arrestshe tried to catch his eye

(tr) to comprehendI didn't catch his meaning

(tr) to hear accuratelyI didn't catch what you said

(tr) to captivate or charm

(tr) to perceive and reproduce accuratelythe painter managed to catch his model's beauty

(tr) to hold back or restrainhe caught his breath in surprise

(intr) to become alightthe fire won't catch

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

(intr often foll by at)

to grasp or attempt to grasp
to take advantage (of), esp eagerlyhe caught at the chance

(intr; used passively) informal to make pregnant

catch it informal to be scolded or reprimanded

catch oneself on slang to realize that one's actions are mistaken

noun

the act of catching or grasping

a device that catches and fastens, such as a latch

anything that is caught, esp something worth catching

the amount or number caught

informal a person regarded as an eligible matrimonial prospect

a check or break in the voice

a break in a mechanism

informal

a concealed, unexpected, or unforeseen drawback or handicap
(as modifier)a catch question

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

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

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 articulateSee round (def. 31), canon 1 (def. 7)

See also catch on, catch out, catch up

Derived Formscatchable, adjective

Word Origin for catch

C13 cacchen to pursue, from Old Northern French cachier, from Latin captāre to snatch, from capere to seize

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for catch

v.

c.1200, "to take, capture," from Anglo-French or Old North French cachier "catch, capture" (animals) (Old French chacier "hunt, pursue, drive (animals)," Modern French chasser "to hunt;" making it a doublet of chase (v.)), from Vulgar Latin *captiare "try to seize, chase" (also source of Spanish cazar, Italian cacciare), from Latin captare "to take, hold," frequentative of Latin capere "to take, hold" (see capable).

Senses in early Middle English also included "chase, hunt," which later went with chase (v.). Of infections from 1540s; of fire from 1734; of sleep, etc., from early 14c. Related: Catched (obsolete); catching; caught.

Meaning "act as a catcher in baseball" recorded from 1865. To catch on "apprehend" is 1884, American English colloquial. To catch (someone's) eye is first attested 1813, in Jane Austen. Catch as catch can first attested late 14c.

n.

late 14c., "device to hold a latch of a door," also "a trap;" also "a fishing vessel," from catch (v.). Meaning "action of catching" attested from 1570s. Meaning "that which is caught or worth catching" (later especially of spouses) is from 1590s. Sense of "hidden cost, qualification, etc." is slang first recorded 1855 in P.T. Barnum.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with catch

catch

In addition to the idioms beginning with catch

catch as catch can
catch at
catch a Tartar
catch cold
catch fire
catch in the act
catch it
catch napping
catch off guard
catch on
catch one's breath
catch one's death (of cold)
catch red-handed
catch sight of
catch someone's eye
catch some rays
catch some z's
catch the drift
catch up

also see:

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

Also see undercaught.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.