catch phrase

American  

Or catchphrase

noun

1. a phrase that attracts or is meant to attract attention.

2. a phrase, as a slogan, that comes to be widely and repeatedly used, often with little of the original meaning remaining.

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catch phrase British  

noun

1. a well-known frequently used phrase, esp one associated with a particular group, etc

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Etymology

Origin of catch phrase

First recorded in 1840–50; catch(word) + phrase

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catch phrase

Remember Sun Microsystems’ catch phrase, “We put the dot in dotcom”? Do you remember Sun Microsystems?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

When did we last hear that catch phrase?

From Salon ● May 14, 2024

"The catch phrase is always 'physics beyond the Standard Model,'" Gaskell said.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2024

For many years, Hank Williams Jr. provided the musical intro for “Monday Night Football,” injecting the catch phrase “Are you ready for some football?” into his song, “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2023

Its focus on ideas made it the catch phrase of a generation feeling dangerously severed from its relation to history, and no less endangered by a future falling too fast upon this generation.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin

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