catching
Americanadjective
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tending to be transmitted from one person to another; contagious or infectious.
a disease that is catching;
His enthusiasm is catching.
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attractive; fascinating; captivating; alluring.
a catching personality.
adjective
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infectious
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attractive; captivating
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of catching
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at 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.
And catching bird flu can push our most threatened species, such as the orange-bellied parrot, to the brink of extinction.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
SpaceX won’t be catching the upper stage of Starship soon.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
It seemed more likely to Egan that the Betterment survey was catching the leading edge of a troubling mindset shift.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
“We recently became aware of the detainment of minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas,” the Padres club said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Ah. Part of an Oreo. A client yesterday had her toddler with her. She was eating cookies and moving my stuff all around. Thanks for catching that.”
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
