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

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”

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

Weston says the abandoned animals were a message to say: "We've been. You didn't catch us this time."

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The 54-year-old, who has lived in Lege-Cap-Ferret for 30 years, fled his home after watching his neighbour's wooden house catch fire.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Inside China’s all-out push to catch up with American AI chips.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Those who fall behind often struggle to catch up, because competitors aren’t standing still.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

“On your feet for the Pledge of Allegiance,” Tansy said with a catch in her voice, “quick.”

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

But all too often, VIX rises in August and catches traders unprepared.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Brown, McVay and general manager Les Snead ultimately chose to stick with the 13th-year pro and future Hall of Famer, who last season led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Edward Afful, a fisherman of 20 years, says shrinking catches have left many crews struggling to recover the cost of fuel for their boats.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

If the Houthi blockade catches up more than Saudi ships, crossings could fall even further, Kpler analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

As we walk, one shop in particular catches my eye because it’s so…pink.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

The ship caught fire and seven crew members and a Ukrainian pilot had to be rescued, but two other crew members were missing, he added.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

“We’re a small company caught in a clog of tariffs.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

The man was caught filming passengers and crew using Meta glasses.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

A few days later at Gelson’s, I caught an older man watching me read ingredients on a mustard label.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Wiping tears, she caught her breath and said, “You’re a good boy, Campbell, so I’m going to give you a little extra help.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

SpaceX’s route to achieving its grand connectivity vision for Starlink is riddled with multibillion-dollar problems and would require decades’ worth of catching up, according to MoffettNathanson analysts.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026

Njoku was a gifted receiver and blocker in Cleveland, catching 81 balls and scoring six touchdowns in 2023.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The biggest challenge has been persuading fishermen to stop catching one of their most valuable species.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

The journey also involves catching two buses each way.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The children were restless, too, and their noses twitched in hopes of catching another whiff of whoever their unseen visitor had been.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

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