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.
These molecules help immune cells latch onto vessel walls, making it easier for them to move into heart tissue.
From Science Daily
When ACU193+ oligomers latch onto astrocytes, they may spark a cascade of inflammation that spreads throughout the brain, long before memory loss begins.
From Science Daily
These teeth retract and flex more than the average canine, enabling the fish to latch onto a mate while swimming.
From Science Daily
A minuscule parasitic worm capable of springing into the air up to 25 times its own body length can latch onto flying insects with the help of static electricity, according to new research.
From Science Daily
Allen is particularly adept at having “late hands,” waiting until the last possible moment to reach up and latch onto the football, rather than giving the defender ample time beforehand to prepare for the incoming pass.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
