catch Hear it!

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catch definition

catch (kac̸h, kec̸h)

transitive verb caught, catching catch′·ing

  1. to seize and hold, as after a chase; capture
  2. to seize or take by or as by a trap, snare, etc.
  3. to deceive; ensnare
  4. to discover by taking unawares; surprise in some act to be caught stealing
  5. to strike suddenly; hit the blow caught him in the arm
  6. to overtake or get to in time; be in time for to catch a train
  7. to intercept the motion or action of; lay hold of; grab or snatch to catch a ball
    1. to take or get as by chance or quickly to catch someone's attention, to catch a glimpse
    2. Informal to manage to see, hear, find, etc. to catch a radio program
  9. to take or get passively; incur or contract without intention, as by exposure to catch the mumps
    1. to take in with one's mind or senses; understand; apprehend
    2. to show an understanding of by depicting the statue catches her beauty
  11. to captivate; charm
  12. to cause to be entangled or snagged to catch one's heel in a rug
  13. Baseball to act as catcher for (a specified pitcher, a specified game, etc.)

Etymology: ME cacchen < Anglo-Fr cachier < VL *captiare < L captare, to seize < pp. of capere, to take hold: see have

intransitive verb

  1. to become held, fastened, or entangled her sleeve caught on a nail
  2. to take hold or spread, as fire
  3. to take fire; burn
  4. to take and keep hold, as a lock
  5. to act or serve as a catcher

noun

  1. the act of catching
  2. a thing that catches or holds
  3. the person or thing caught
  4. the amount caught
  5. a person worth catching, esp. as a husband or wife
  6. a snatch, scrap, or fragment catches of old tunes
  7. a break in the voice, caused by emotion
  8. ☆ an exercise or a simple game consisting of throwing and catching a ball
  9. ☆ Informal a hidden qualification; tricky condition a catch in his offer
  10. Music a round for three or more unaccompanied voices
  11. Sports a catching of a ball in a specified manner
  12. Baseball the catching of a ball in flight and holding it firmly

adjective

  1. designed to trick; tricky a catch question on an exam
  2. attracting or meant to attract attention or interest
catch Idioms

catch as catch can

with any hold, approach, technique, etc.: originally said of a style of wrestling

catch at

  1. to try to catch
  2. to reach for eagerly; seize desperately

catch it

Informal to receive a scolding or other punishment

catch on

☆
  1. to grasp the meaning; understand
  2. to become fashionable or popular

catch oneself

to hold oneself back abruptly from saying or doing something

catch out

Chiefly Brit. to take notice of a person's error, inconsistency, or unacceptable action

catch up

  1. to take or lift up suddenly; seize; snatch
  2. to show to be in error
  3. to come up even, as by hurrying or by extra work; overtake
  4. to fasten in loops

catch up on

to engage in more (work, sleep, etc.) so as to compensate for earlier neglect

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms catch idiom

catch Synonyms

catch

n.

  1. Something caught or worth catching

    take, haul, treasure, prize, cache, trophy, booty, prey, quarry, game, bag, bonanza, good thing, plum, find, jewel, pride and joy, discovery, gem, lucky strike; see also booty.

  2. *A desirable mate

    eligible bachelor, conquest, prize, rich man, rich woman, number*, score*, piece*, hunk*, lady-killer*; see also sense 1, fiancé, lover 1.

  3. The act of catching

    capture, seizure, grasping, apprehension, taking into captivity, take, snatching, disclosure, uncovering, nab*, cop*, bag*, scoop*, pickup*, grab*, haul*, collar*. *

  4. A hidden qualification

    drawback, snag, trick, catch question, puzzle, conundrum, trap, hitch, rub, joker, kicker*, puzzler*, curve*, gimmick*, strings*; see also difficulty 1, impediment 1, trick 1.

  5. A hook

    latch, clasp, clamp, snap; see fastener, lock 1.


catch

v.

  1. To seize hold of

    snatch, take, take hold of, seize, snag, grab, pick, pounce on, fasten upon, pluck, hook, entangle, claw, clench, clasp, grasp, clutch, grip, glom*, glom onto*, glove*; see also sense 2, seize 1.

    Antonyms free, miss*, drop. *

  2. To bring into captivity

    capture, trap, apprehend, arrest, seize, snare, net, bag, nab*; see also sense 1, arrest 1, seize 2.

  3. To come to from behind

    overtake, intercept, overhaul, reach, go after, get, come upon, run down, gain on, catch up with, cut off; see also pass 1, reach 1.

    Antonyms falter, fail*, lag behind.

  4. To contract a disease

    get, contract, come down with, fall ill, develop, become infected, incur, suffer from, become subject to, become liable to, fall victim to, take, succumb to, break out with, break out in.

    Antonyms ward off, escape*, get over. *

  5. To take unawares

    surprise, detect, find, expose; see discover, find 1, surprise 2.

  6. To trick

    fool, hoax, ensnare, trip up*; see deceive.

  7. To reach in time to board

    get on, climb on, board, make, take, hop on, grab*, jump*; see also board 2.

catch, the most general term here, refers to the seizing or taking of a person or thing, whether by skill, cunning, or surprise, and usually implies pursuit; capture stresses seizure by force or stratagem to capture an outlaw; nab, an informal word, specifically implies a sudden or quick taking into custody the police nabbed the thief; trap and snare both imply the literal or figurative use of a device for catching a person or animal and suggest a situation from which escape is difficult or impossible to trap a bear, snared by their false promises


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

catch Usage Examples

Object

  • glimpse: Wow, I thought to myself, we're pretty lucky to catch a glimpse of this!

Converse of object

  • watz: Now watz the catch before promoting i placed Google Ads on my page.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

  • unprepared: Dislocation commonly occurs when there is a backward pull on the arm that either catches the muscles unprepared to resist or overwhelms the muscles.

Modifies a noun

  • phrase: Kimi's catch phrase is " You'll have to ask the team.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • up: You a catch up with what I am doing on my www Looking forward to hearing more about your year on your plot.

Preposition: of

  • carp: Geoff Arnold was the winner of Thursday's event with a 20lb catch of carp to three pounds.
catch usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

catch quotes

   For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception orother, of heat orcold, light or shade, pain or pleasure.I nevercan catch myself at any time without a perception, and never can observe anything but the perception.

-Humboldt, Alexander, Baron von

Anyway,I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's aroundönobody big, I meanö except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff.What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the clifföI mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.

-Salinger,J(erome) D(avid)

Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going.

-Williams,TennesseeThomas Lanier

catch quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"catch." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/catch>

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catch. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/catch

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