catcher

[ kach-er ]

/ ˈkætʃ ər /

noun

a person or thing that catches.

Baseball. the player stationed behind home plate, whose chief duty is to catch pitches not hit by the batter.

a member of an aerialist team, as in a circus, who hangs head down from a trapeze and catches another member who has completed a jump or somersault through the air.

Metalworking. a person who feeds metal rods through a looping mill.

Electronics. catcher resonator.See under Klystron.

Nearby words

catch-colt, catch-cord, catch-up, catchall, catchcry, catcher, catcher in the rye, the, catcher resonator, catcher's box, catchfly, catching

Origin of catcher

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at catch, -er¹

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

Examples from the Web for catcher

As far as seeing the target, the catcher put tape on his fingers so I could see the signals.
‘No No,’ a Documentary on MLB Pitcher Dock Ellis, Who Pitched a No-Hitter While Tripping on Acid|Marlow Stern|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"The creator of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye would not be pleased," USA Today.
What the Leaked J.D. Salinger Stories Reveal About the Author|Andrew Romano|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But then, in 1951, A Catcher in the Rye was published, and Salinger became a celebrity.
What We Really Know about J.D. Salinger|Andrew Romano|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For me, reading Middlemarch or Sentimental Education is work, whereas Catcher in the Rye was pure pleasure.
Woody Allen's Favorite Books|FiveBooks|May 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Catcher in the Rye has always had special meaning for me because I read it when I was young—18 or so.
Woody Allen's Favorite Books|FiveBooks|May 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
You spit in your catcher's mit, like Kelly, the ten-thousand-dollar baseball beauty.
Hints to Pilgrims|Charles Stephen Brooks
"Well, he'll have a catcher that can hold him this year," declared the city lad.
Rival Pitchers of Oakdale|Morgan Scott
The catcher snapped the ball to second, completing the double.
Frank Armstrong at College|Matthew M. Colton
The most serious loss was in the battery, both the pitcher and catcher of the year previous having left the college.
The Rover Boys in Business|Arthur M. Winfield
The catcher should be not less than ten feet in front of the first couple.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium|Jessie H. Bancroft

British Dictionary definitions for catcher

catcher

/ (ˈkætʃə) /

noun

a person or thing that catches, esp in a game or sport

baseball a fielder who stands behind home plate and catches pitched balls not hit by the batter

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 catcher

catcher

"one who catches," in any sense, mid-14c., agent noun from catch (v.).

catcher

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of catcher

Examples from the Web for catcher

British Dictionary definitions for catcher

catcher

noun

Word Origin and History for catcher

catcher