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Synonyms

gotcha

American  
[goch-uh] / ˈgɒtʃ ə /

interjection

  1. Informal. got you (used to indicate comprehension, to exultingly point out a blunder, etc.).

Etymology

Origin of gotcha

A phonetic spelling representing the pronunciation of got you in continuous rapid speech

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.

It was not a gotcha sort of documentary.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Ms. Stefanik wasn’t trying to ask a gotcha question, she writes in the book.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

In other words, it was a deliberate gotcha.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026

That’s the gotcha thing they wanted him to say.

From Slate • May 11, 2024

And then, echoing all around me, a voice: “Hey now, hey now...I gotcha, big man, I gotcha.”

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

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.