catching

American

[kach-ing] / ˈkætʃ ɪŋ /

adjective

tending to be transmitted from one person to another; contagious or infectious.

a disease that is catching;
His enthusiasm is catching.
attractive; fascinating; captivating; alluring.

a catching personality.

catching British

/ ˈkætʃɪŋ /

adjective

infectious
attractive; captivating

"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

Other Word Forms

catchingly adverb
catchingness noun

Etymology

Origin of catching

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; 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.

The sportswear giant has been trying to focus more on the needs of athletes, but analysts say new products aren’t catching on.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

“Wonder Man” is worth catching up on, “Daredevil” is watchable, and “Maul” should be cool.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

On the other side of the NEC, Jax Romero, 38, from Texas, is catching up with friend Connor Burkett, 31, from Buckinghamshire.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

One of the drivers, a woman with a small dog in her lap, spoke to the other driver through her window for a few minutes, catching up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

And he didn’t like stories that other people understood and he didn’t, especially since he was supposed to be the one catching Maya-Jade up on the parts she’d missed, not the other way around.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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