latch onto
Idioms-
Also, latch on to.
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Get hold of, grasp; also, understand, grasp mentally. For example, They latched onto a fortune in the fur trade , or Carol quickly latched on to how the sewing machine works . [c. 1930]
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Attach oneself to, join in with, as in Rob didn't know the way so he latched on to one of the older children . [c. 1930]
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’s not unprecedented for struggling companies to latch onto the hot trend of the moment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
“But if that shock continues, they will latch onto it. They will follow those trends and typically, they’re going to do much better than anyone else in these environments.”
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
The mites' tendency to latch onto juvenile spiders suggests opportunistic behavior, since younger spiders are more exposed to parasites and predators.
From Science Daily • Jan. 28, 2026
Mui tries to latch onto her frustration, underlining how Mamdani will be firm in pushing back on Trump.
From Slate • Oct. 27, 2025
I have no desire to latch onto a monster symbol of fate and prove my manhood in titanic piscine war.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
