catch

/kɛtʃ/

/kætʃ/

Other forms: caught; catching; catches; catched

When you catch something, you grasp it or seize it in your hands, the way you catch a basketball when your friend throws it to you.

As a verb, catch describes grabbing and holding on. Adding the preposition on means you understand something, like when you catch on to your little brother's scheme to get out of doing chores, or to describe something that's getting popular, like a pop song that catches on then becomes a huge hit. If someone tells you there's a catch, it means there is a complication, but if a person is a catch, he or she makes a good romantic partner.

Definitions of catch

1. verb

   take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
   “Catch the ball!”

   synonyms: grab, take hold of

   types:

   harpoon

   spear with a harpoon

   fish

   catch or try to catch fish or shellfish

   hook

   catch with a hook

   net, nett

   catch with a net

   intercept, stop

   seize on its way

   crab

   fish for crab

   seine

   fish with a seine; catch fish with a seine

   scallop, scollop

   fish for scallops

   rail

   fish with a handline over the rails of a boat

   brail

   haul fish aboard with brails

   angle

   fish with a hook

   shrimp

   fish for shrimp

   net fish

   fish with nets

   shark

   hunt shark

   trawl

   fish with trawlers

   still-fish

   fish with the line and bait resting still or stationary in the water

   seize

   hook by a pull on the line

   prawn

   fish for prawns

   cut off, cut out

   cut off and stop

   type of:

   clutch, prehend, seize

   take hold of; grab
2. verb

   succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase
   “Did you catch the thief?”

   synonyms: capture, get

   types:

   recapture, retake

   capture again

   lasso, rope

   catch with a lasso

   type of:

   clutch, prehend, seize

   take hold of; grab
3. verb

   capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping
   “I caught a rabbit in the trap today”

   synonyms: capture

   types:

   hunt, hunt down, run, track down

   pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)

   frog

   hunt frogs for food

   bag

   capture or kill, as in hunting

   batfowl

   catch birds by temporarily blinding them

   rat

   catch rats, especially with dogs

   ensnare, entrap, snare, trammel, trap

   catch in or as if in a trap

   snipe

   hunt or shoot snipe

   whale

   hunt for whales

   ambush, still-hunt

   hunt (quarry) by stalking and ambushing

   turtle

   hunt for turtles, especially as an occupation

   drive

   (hunting) chase from cover into more open ground

   drive

   (hunting) search for game

   rabbit

   hunt rabbits

   fowl

   hunt fowl in the forest

   poach

   hunt illegally

   seal

   hunt seals

   ferret

   hunt with ferrets

   course

   hunt with hounds

   foxhunt

   hunt foxes, on horseback and with dogs

   jack, jacklight

   hunt with a jacklight

   hawk

   hunt with hawks

   falcon

   hunt with falcons

   fowl

   hunt fowl

   gin

   trap with a snare

   forage, scrounge

   collect or look around for (food)

   type of:

   acquire, get

   come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
4. verb

   attract; cause to be enamored
   synonyms: becharm, beguile, bewitch, captivate, capture, charm, enamor, enamour, enchant, entrance, fascinate, trance

   types:

   hold

   hold the attention of

   work

   gratify and charm, usually in order to influence

   type of:

   appeal, attract

   be attractive to
5. verb

   take in and retain
   “We have a big barrel to catch the rainwater”

   synonyms:

   capture

   capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping

   type of:

   accumulate, amass, collect, compile, hoard, pile up, roll up

   get or gather together
6. verb

   get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly
   “Catch some sleep”

   “catch one's breath”

   type of:

   acquire, get

   come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
7. verb

   cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled
   “I caught the hem of my dress in the brambles”

   synonyms:

   hitch

   hook or entangle
8. verb

   delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned
   “I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting”

   type of:

   delay, detain, hold up

   cause to be slowed down or delayed
9. verb

   to hook or entangle
   “One foot caught in the stirrup”

   synonyms: hitch

   types:

   snag

   catch on a snag

   type of:

   attach

   cause to be attached
10. verb

    attract and fix
    “His look caught her”

    “She caught his eye”

    “Catch the attention of the waiter”

    synonyms: arrest, get

    type of:

    attract, draw, draw in, pull, pull in

    direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
11. verb

    reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot
    “the rock caught her in the back of the head”

    “The punch caught him in the stomach”

    synonyms: get

    type of:

    hit

    deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument
12. verb

    reach in time
    “I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock”

    synonyms:

    catch up with, overtake

    catch up with and possibly overtake

    types:

    get

    reach and board

    type of:

    board, get on

    get on board of (trains, buses, ships, aircraft, etc.)
13. verb

    catch up with and possibly overtake
    “The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp”

    synonyms: catch up with, overtake
14. verb

    be struck or affected by
    “catch fire”

    “catch the mood”

    synonyms:

    get

    suffer from the receipt of

    type of:

    change

    undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
15. verb

    start burning
    “The fire caught”

    type of:

    catch fire, combust, conflagrate, erupt, ignite, take fire

    start to burn or burst into flames
16. verb

    contract
    “did you catch a cold?”

    synonyms:

    contract, get, take

    be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness

    types:

    catch cold

    come down with a cold

    type of:

    contract, get, take

    be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
17. verb

    suffer from the receipt of
    “She will catch hell for this behavior!”

    synonyms: get

    get, receive

    receive as a retribution or punishment

    type of:

    ache, hurt, suffer

    feel physical pain
18. verb

    be the catcher
    “Who is catching?”

    synonyms:

    grab, take hold of

    take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

    type of:

    play

    participate in games or sport
19. noun

    the act of catching an object with the hands
    “Mays made the catch with his back to the plate”

    synonyms: grab, snap, snatch

    types:

    fair catch

    (American football) a catch of a punt on the fly by a defensive player who has signalled that he will not run and so should not be tackled

    interception

    (American football) the act of catching a football by a player on the opposing team

    reception

    (American football) the act of catching a pass in football

    rebound

    the act of securing possession of the rebounding basketball after a missed shot

    shoestring catch

    (baseball) a running catch made near the ground

    interlock, interlocking, mesh, meshing

    the act of interlocking or meshing

    type of:

    touch, touching

    the act of putting two things together with no space between them
20. noun

    the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal)
    synonyms: apprehension, arrest, collar, pinch, taking into custody

    type of:

    capture, gaining control, seizure

    the act of forcibly dispossessing an owner of property
21. noun

    anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching)
    “he shared his catch with the others”

    type of:

    object, physical object

    a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
22. noun

    a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect
    synonyms: match

    type of:

    adult, grownup

    a fully developed person from maturity onward
23. noun

    the quantity that was caught
    “the catch was only 10 fish”

    synonyms: haul

    type of:

    indefinite quantity

    an estimated quantity
24. noun

    a restraint that checks the motion of something
    synonyms: stop

    types:

    bench hook

    any of various stops on a workbench against which work can be pushed (as while chiseling or planing)

    doorstop, doorstopper

    a stop that keeps open doors from moving

    click, detent, dog, pawl

    a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward

    trip, tripper

    a catch mechanism that acts as a switch

    type of:

    constraint, restraint

    a device that impede's something's motion
25. noun

    a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window
    types:

    hasp

    a fastener for a door or lid; a hinged metal plate is fitted over a staple and is locked with a pin or padlock

    hood latch

    a catch that holds the hood of a car shut

    hook

    a catch for locking a door

    latch

    catch for fastening a door or gate; a bar that can be lowered or slid into a groove

    type of:

    fastener, fastening, fixing, holdfast

    restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place
26. noun

    a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion)
    type of:

    delivery, manner of speaking, speech

    your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally
27. noun

    a cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth
    “he played catch with his son in the backyard”

    type of:

    game

    an amusement or pastime
28. verb

    discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
    “She caught her son eating candy”

    “She was caught shoplifting”

    type of:

    surprise

    cause to be surprised
29. verb

    become aware of
    “he caught her staring out the window”

    type of:

    find, see, witness

    perceive or be contemporaneous with
30. verb

    grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of
    “did you catch that allusion?”

    “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”

    “don't catch your meaning”

    synonyms: get

    get

    apprehend and reproduce accurately

    get

    acquire as a result of some effort or action

    type of:

    understand

    know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
31. verb

    detect a blunder or misstep
    synonyms: trip up

    type of:

    discover, find out, get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, pick up, see

    get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
32. verb

    perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily
    “I caught the aroma of coffee”

    “He caught the allusion in her glance”

    “ears open to catch every sound”

    “Catch a glimpse”

    synonyms: pick up

    type of:

    comprehend, perceive

    become aware of through the senses
33. verb

    see or watch
    “Catch a show on Broadway”

    synonyms: see, take in, view, watch

    see

    perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

    types:

    visualise, visualize

    view the outline of by means of an X-ray

    spectate

    be a spectator in a sports event

    preview

    watch (a movie or play) before it is released to the general public

    preview

    see or inspect in a preliminary way or in advance

    image

    render visible, as by means of MRI

    type of:

    watch

    look attentively
34. verb

    perceive by hearing
    “I didn't catch your name”

    synonyms: get

    overhear, take in

    hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers

    type of:

    hear

    perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
35. verb

    hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
    synonyms: overhear, take in

    get

    perceive by hearing

    type of:

    hear

    perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
36. verb

    apprehend and reproduce accurately
    “She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings”

    synonyms: get

    get

    grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of

    type of:

    reproduce

    recreate a sound, image, idea, mood, atmosphere, etc.
37. verb

    check oneself during an action
    “She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind”

    type of:

    check, contain, control, curb, hold, hold in, moderate

    lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits
38. noun

    a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
    “it sounds good but what's the catch?”

    synonyms: gimmick

    type of:

    drawback

    the quality of being a hindrance
39. verb

    spread or be communicated
    “The fashion did not catch”

    type of:

    propagate, spread

    become distributed or widespread