catching
Americanadjective
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tending to be transmitted from one person to another; contagious or infectious.
a disease that is catching;
His enthusiasm is catching.
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attractive; fascinating; captivating; alluring.
a catching personality.
adjective
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infectious
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attractive; captivating
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of catching
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at catch, -ing 2
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.
These costs have been catching employers off guard, especially with the increased use of agentic AI sucking up tokens.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
Xpeng helped “jump-start” the task of catching up, said Thomas Ulbrich, chief technology officer for Volkswagen China and boss of the Hefei development center.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
One analyst who follows the Chinese market closely told Barron’s that he believes the Chinese brands are interested in catching the attention of American investors as much as consumers.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
And catching it out in front also stops the ball’s own movement before it gets too far out of the zone.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
They laughed till it hurt, while Wolf pranced around with a joyful rocking gait, tossing and catching the frozen lemming.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
