catcher

American  

[kach-er] / ˈkætʃ ər /

noun

• catchers
  plural

1. a person or thing that catches.

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

3. 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.

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

5. catcher resonator. Electronics. Klystron

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catcher British  

/ ˈkætʃə /

noun

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

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• catchers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of catcher

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at catch, -er ¹

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Explanation

In baseball or softball, the catcher is the player who crouches behind home plate and catches the pitches that aren't hit by the batter. The catcher plays an important role in the game of baseball, being the person who uses hand signals to request specific pitches and heads up the team's defense. Because of the catcher's position (behind a swinging bat, facing a fast-moving baseball), he or she wears protective gear, including a mask and chest guard. Catchers tend to have more injuries and shorter careers than other players — crouching tends to be very hard on their knees.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catcher catchers

Milwaukee's William Contreras was named the World Series' most valuable player, with the 28-year-old becoming the eighth catcher to win the award and the third Venezuelan.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk came to the plate to face Reds pitcher Pat Darcy, the score tied 6-6.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Her fiance is Mike Schwartz, the bear-like former catcher on the Westish baseball team and now a coach and athletics administrator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Roberts moved designated hitter Shohei Ohtani down to sixth in the batting order, and put catcher Will Smith behind him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Meanwhile Robinson came to bat and almost got into a fight with the catcher, Garagiola.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord

But this one could really drag well past the date when pitchers and catchers are due back in early February.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

Brook has also turned himself into one of England's most reliable catchers.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Batters, catchers and pitchers can contest a ball or strike call by immediately tapping their cap or helmet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Having sworn never to be taken back to slavery alive—or to let that happen to anyone else—he had organized an armed self-defense force of black neighbors to fend off slave catchers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

A year after the Quinn Chapel meeting, a posse of slave catchers came up out of Maryland into Christiana, Pennsylvania, acting on information that four slaves were hiding out at a free black farmer’s home.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

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