catch on
Britishverb
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to become popular or fashionable
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to grasp mentally; understand
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Understand, as in Aunt Mary doesn't catch on to any jokes . The verb to catch alone was used with this meaning from Shakespeare's time, on being added in the late 1800s. Also see get it , def. 2.
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Become popular, as in This new dance is really beginning to catch on . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One expert doubts that new ETFs from Subversive will catch on in a meaningful way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
She crashed through or over the covers whenever New Zealand offered a hint of width and capitalised on a dropped catch on nought and a missed stumping on 13.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Investors will look for visibility into further big gains for Nvidia even as new types of chips catch on more with customers.
From MarketWatch ● May 17, 2026
A hawthorn is a shrub, often used in hedges, whose sharp thorns catch on intruders’ clothes or skin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
She paused, giving me a second to catch on.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
