catch out

British

verb

informal (tr, adverb) to trap (a person), esp in an error or doing something reprehensible

"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

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.

The ways people are caught out include buying fake online gift cards, accidentally buying a card which has been tampered with or being tricked into buying gift cards for someone.

From BBC

“Of course,” Penelope said quickly, for no Swanburne girl would be caught out and about without something interesting to read tucked into her pocket or purse.

From Literature

He seems to have been caught out by the unexpected move from Rachel Reeves to do what he had asked and ditch her long-held fiscal rules.

From BBC

A lorry driver who claimed a coughing fit caused him to drift on to the wrong side of the road and crash into another HGV was caught out, because his dashcam was also recording audio.

From BBC

It reported adjusted earnings of $2.1 billion compared with $1.7 billion in the prior quarter when traders were caught out by volatility.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023