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catch

  [kach] verb, caught, catch⋅ing, noun, adjective
Use catch in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to seize or capture, esp. after pursuit: to catch a criminal; to catch a runaway horse.
2. to trap or ensnare: to catch a fish.
3. to intercept and seize; take and hold (something thrown, falling, etc.): to catch a ball; a barrel to catch rain.
4. to come upon suddenly; surprise or detect, as in some action: I caught him stealing the pumpkin.
5. to receive, incur, or contract: to catch a cold.
6. to be in time to get aboard (a train, boat, etc.).
7. to lay hold of; grasp; clasp: He caught her arm.
8. to grip, hook, or entangle: The closing door caught his arm.
9. to allow (something) to become gripped, hooked, snagged, or entangled: He caught his coat on a nail.
10. to attract or arrest: The painting caught his fancy. His speech caught our attention.
11. to check or restrain suddenly (often used reflexively): She caught her breath in surprise. He caught himself before he said the wrong thing.
12. to see or attend: to catch a show.
13. to strike; hit: The blow caught him on the head.
14. to become inspired by or aware of: I caught the spirit of the occasion.
15. to fasten with or as if with a catch: to catch the clasp on a necklace.
16. to deceive: No one was caught by his sugary words.
17. to attract the attention of; captivate; charm: She was caught by his smile and good nature.
18. to grasp with the intellect; comprehend: She failed to catch his meaning.
19. to hear clearly: We caught snatches of their conversation.
20. to apprehend and record; capture: The painting caught her expression perfectly.
21. South Midland and Southern U.S. to assist at the birth of: The town doctor caught more than four hundred children before he retired.
–verb (used without object)
22. to become gripped, hooked, or entangled: Her foot caught in the net.
23. to overtake someone or something moving (usually fol. by up, up with, or up to).
24. to take hold: The door lock doesn't catch.
25. Baseball. to play the position of catcher: He catches for the Yankees.
26. to become lighted; take fire; ignite: The kindling caught instantly.
27. to become established, as a crop or plant, after germination and sprouting.
–noun
28. the act of catching.
29. anything that catches, esp. a device for checking motion, as a latch on a door.
30. any tricky or concealed drawback: It seems so easy that there must be a catch somewhere.
31. a slight, momentary break or crack in the voice.
32. that which is caught, as a quantity of fish: The fisherman brought home a large catch.
33. a person or thing worth getting, esp. a person regarded as a desirable matrimonial prospect: My mother thinks Pat would be quite a catch.
34. a game in which a ball is thrown from one person to another: to play catch; to have a catch.
35. a fragment: catches of a song.
36. Music. a round, esp. one in which the words are so arranged as to produce ludicrous effects.
37. Sports. the catching and holding of a batted or thrown ball before it touches the ground.
38. Rowing. the first part of the stroke, consisting of the placing of the oar into the water.
39. Agriculture. the establishment of a crop from seed: a catch of clover.
–adjective
40. catchy (def. 3).
—Verb phrases
41. catch at, to grasp at eagerly; accept readily: He caught at the chance to get free tickets.
42. catch on,
a. to become popular: That new song is beginning to catch on.
b. to grasp mentally; understand: You'd think he'd catch on that he's boring us.
c. New England. (in cooking) to scorch or burn slightly; sear: A pot roast is better if allowed to catch on.
43. catch out, Chiefly British. to catch or discover (a person) in deceit or an error.
44. catch up,
a. to lift or snatch suddenly: Leaves were caught up in the wind.
b. to bring or get up to date (often fol. by on or with): to catch up on one's reading.
c. to come up to or overtake (something or someone) (usually fol. by with): to catch up with the leader in a race.
d. to become involved or entangled with: caught up in the excitement of the crowd.
e. to point out to (a person) minor errors, untruths, etc. (usually fol. by on): We caught the teacher up on a number of factual details.
f. Falconry. to capture for further training (a hawk that has been flown at hack).
g. South Midland and Southern U.S. to harness (a horse or mule).
—Idioms
45. catch a crab, (in rowing) to bungle a stroke by failing to get the oar into the water at the beginning or by failing to withdraw it properly at the end.
46. catch a turn, Nautical. to wind a rope around a bitt, capstan, etc., for one full turn.
47. catch it, Informal. to receive a reprimand or punishment: He'll catch it from his mother for tearing his good trousers again.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME cacchen to chase, capture < ONF cachier < VL *captiāre, for L captāre to grasp at, seek out, try to catch, freq. of capere to take

Related forms:
catch⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. apprehend, arrest. 7. Catch, clutch, grasp, seize imply taking hold suddenly of something. To catch may be to reach after and get: He caught my hand. To clutch is to take firm hold of (often out of fear or nervousness), and retain: The child clutched her mother's hand. To grasp also suggests both getting and keeping hold of, with a connotation of eagerness and alertness, rather than fear (literally or figuratively): to grasp someone's hand in welcome; to grasp an idea. To seize implies the use of force or energy in taking hold of suddenly (literally or figuratively): to seize a criminal; to seize an opportunity. 17. enchant, fascinate, win. 28. capture, apprehension, arrest. 29. ratchet, bolt.

Antonyms:
1, 7, 28. release.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To catch
catch   (kāch, kěch)   
v.   caught (kôt), catch·ing, catch·es

v.   tr.
  1. To capture or seize, especially after a chase.
  2. To take by or as if by trapping or snaring.
    1. To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally: He was caught in the act of stealing.
    2. To become cognizant or aware of suddenly: caught her gazing out the window.
    3. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp: caught me by the arm; caught the reins.
    4. To grab so as to stop the motion of: catch a ball.
    5. To overtake: The green car caught me on the straightaway.
    6. To reach just in time; take: caught the bus to town; catch a wave.
    7. To hold, as by snagging or entangling.
    8. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair.
    9. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour.
    10. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival.
    11. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late.
    12. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    13. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
    14. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    15. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
    16. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    17. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
    1. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp: caught me by the arm; caught the reins.
    2. To grab so as to stop the motion of: catch a ball.
    3. To overtake: The green car caught me on the straightaway.
    4. To reach just in time; take: caught the bus to town; catch a wave.
    5. To hold, as by snagging or entangling.
    6. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair.
    7. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour.
    8. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival.
    9. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late.
    10. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    11. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
    12. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    13. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
    14. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    15. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
    1. To overtake: The green car caught me on the straightaway.
    2. To reach just in time; take: caught the bus to town; catch a wave.
    3. To hold, as by snagging or entangling.
    4. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair.
    5. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour.
    6. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival.
    7. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late.
    8. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    9. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
    10. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    11. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
    12. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    13. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
    1. To hold, as by snagging or entangling.
    2. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair.
    3. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour.
    4. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival.
    5. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late.
    6. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    7. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
    8. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    9. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
    10. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    11. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
  7. To hit; strike: a punch that caught me in the stomach.
  8. To check (oneself) during an action: I caught myself before replying.
  9. To become subject to or to contract, as by exposure to a pathogen: catch a cold.
    1. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival.
    2. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late.
    3. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    4. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
    5. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    6. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
    7. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    8. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
    1. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    2. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
    3. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    4. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
    5. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    6. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
    1. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    2. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
    3. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    4. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
  13. To attract and fix; arrest: couldn't catch their attention; caught the teacher's eye.
  14. To charm; captivate.
  15. To deceive: failed to be caught by their fraudulent schemes.
    1. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    2. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
v.   intr.
  1. To become held, entangled, or fastened: My coat caught in the car door.
  2. To act or move so as to hold or grab someone or something: tried to catch at the life preserver.
  3. To be communicable or infectious; spread.
  4. To ignite: The fire caught.
  5. Baseball To act as catcher.
n.  
  1. The act of catching; a taking and holding.
  2. Something that catches, especially a device for fastening or for checking motion.
    1. Something caught: The mistake you found was a good catch.
    2. Informal One that is worth having, especially an attractive or admirable marital partner.
    3. The grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground.
    4. A game of throwing and catching a ball.
    5. To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal.
    6. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.
  4. Sports
    1. The grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground.
    2. A game of throwing and catching a ball.
    3. To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal.
    4. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.
  5. A quantity that is caught: The catch amounted to 50 fish.
  6. A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice.
  7. A stop or break in the operation of a mechanism.
  8. A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback: It sounds like a good offer, but there may be a catch.
  9. A snatch; a fragment.
  10. Music A canonic, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.
  11. To understand; perceive.
  12. To become popular: Skateboarding caught on quickly.
  13. To move fast enough to attain the same progress as another; draw even: caught up to the leader on the last lap of the race.
  14. To become equal or on a par with another: finally caught up with his brother in height.
  15. To bring an activity to completion or to a state of currentness: catch up on correspondence.
  16. To bring (another) up to date; brief: Let me catch you up on all the gossip.
  17. To seize or lift suddenly: The wind caught up the umbrella and carried it off.
    1. To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal.
    2. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.
Phrasal Verb(s):
catch on
  1. To understand; perceive.
  2. To become popular: Skateboarding caught on quickly.
catch outTo detect (another) in wrongdoing or error.
catch up
  1. To move fast enough to attain the same progress as another; draw even: caught up to the leader on the last lap of the race.
  2. To become equal or on a par with another: finally caught up with his brother in height.
  3. To bring an activity to completion or to a state of currentness: catch up on correspondence.
  4. To bring (another) up to date; brief: Let me catch you up on all the gossip.
  5. To seize or lift suddenly: The wind caught up the umbrella and carried it off.
    1. To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal.
    2. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.

Idiom(s):
catch fire
  1. To ignite.
  2. To become very enthusiastic.
  3. To become the subject of great interest and widespread enthusiasm: an idea that caught fire all over the country.

Idiom(s):
catch it Informal To receive a punishment or scolding.

Idiom(s):
catch (one's) breathTo rest so as to be able to continue an activity.

Idiom(s):
catch up with
  1. To find or arrest after a period of pursuit: The police finally caught up with him in Omaha.
  2. To have unpleasant consequences for, especially after a period of quiesence: mistakes that caught up with him when he ran for President.

Idiom(s):
catch you laterInformal Used to express good-bye.

[Middle English cacchen, from Old North French cachier, to chase, from Latin captāre, frequentative of capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
catch'a·ble adj.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to take in and hold as if by using bait or a lure: caught in a web of lies; enmeshed in the neighbors' dispute; ensnared an unsuspecting customer; became entangled in her own contradictions; entrapped by a convincing undercover agent; snared by false hopes; tangled by his own duplicity; trapped into incriminating himself.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Catch

Catch\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Caughtor Catched; p. pr. & vb. n. Catching. Catched is rarely used.] [OE. cacchen, OF. cachier, dialectic form of chacier to hunt, F. chasser, fr. (assumend) LL. captiare, for L. capture, V. intens. of capere to take, catch. See Capacious, and cf. Chase, Case a box.]

1. To lay hold on; to seize, especially with the hand; to grasp (anything) in motion, with the effect of holding; as, to catch a ball.

2. To seize after pursuing; to arrest; as, to catch a thief. "They pursued . . . and caught him." --Judg. i. 6.

3. To take captive, as in a snare or net, or on a hook; as, to catch a bird or fish.

4. Hence: To insnare; to entangle. "To catch him in his words". --Mark xii. 13.

5. To seize with the senses or the mind; to apprehend; as, to catch a melody. "Fiery thoughts . . . whereof I catch the issue." --Tennyson.

6. To communicate to; to fasten upon; as, the fire caught the adjoining building.

7. To engage and attach; to please; to charm.

The soothing arts that catch the fair. --Dryden.

8. To get possession of; to attain.

Torment myself to catch the English throne. --Shak.

9. To take or receive; esp. to take by sympathy, contagion, infection, or exposure; as, to catch the spirit of an occasion; to catch the measles or smallpox; to catch cold; the house caught fire.

10. To come upon unexpectedly or by surprise; to find; as, to catch one in the act of stealing.

11. To reach in time; to come up with; as, to catch a train.

To catch fire, to become inflamed or ignited.

to catch it to get a scolding or beating; to suffer punishment. [Colloq.]

To catch one's eye, to interrupt captiously while speaking. [Colloq.] "You catch me up so very short." --Dickens.

To catch up, to snatch; to take up suddenly.

Catch

Catch\, v. i. 1. To attain possession. [Obs.]

Have is have, however men do catch. --Shak.

2. To be held or impeded by entanglement or a light obstruction; as, a kite catches in a tree; a door catches so as not to open.

3. To take hold; as, the bolt does not catch.

4. To spread by, or as by, infecting; to communicate.

Does the sedition catch from man to man? --Addison.

To catch at, to attempt to seize; to be eager to get or use. "[To] catch at all opportunities of subverting the state." --Addison.

To catch up with, to come up with; to overtake.

Catch

Catch\, n. 1. Act of seizing; a grasp. --Sir P. Sidney.

2. That by which anything is caught or temporarily fastened; as, the catch of a gate.

3. The posture of seizing; a state of preparation to lay hold of, or of watching he opportunity to seize; as, to lie on the catch. [Archaic] --Addison.

The common and the canon law . . . lie at catch, and wait advantages one againt another. --T. Fuller.

4. That which is caught or taken; profit; gain; especially, the whole quantity caught or taken at one time; as, a good catch of fish.

Hector shall have a great catch if he knock out either of your brains. --Shak.

5. Something desirable to be caught, esp. a husband or wife in matrimony. [Colloq.] --Marryat.

6. pl. Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

It has been writ by catches with many intervals. --Locke.

7. A slight remembrance; a trace.

We retain a catch of those pretty stories. --Glanvill.

8. (Mus.) A humorous canon or round, so contrived that the singers catch up each other's words.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : catch
Spanish: coger, atrapar,
German: fangen,
Japanese: 捕える
More Translations »

catch  (v.)
c.1205, from Anglo-Fr. cachier "catch, capture" (animals), from V.L. *captiare "try to seize, chase," freq. of L. capere "to take, hold" (see capable). Sense shifted from original meaning of "chase, hunt." Past tense form caught is rare instance of Eng. strong verb with Fr. origin, probably infl. by latch, the cognate native verb, which this word replaced. Noun meaning "that which is caught or worth catching" (especially of spouses) is from 1596. Catchy was a colloquial word in 1831. To catch on "apprehend" is 1884, Amer.Eng. colloquial. To catch (someone's) eye is first attested 1813, in Jane Austen. Catchword (1730) was originally the first word of the following page inserted at the right-hand lower corner of each page of a book; extended to "word caught up and repeated" (especially in the political sense) by 1795. Catch as catch can first attested 1393.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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catch

In addition to the idioms beginning with catch, also see early bird catches the worm; get (catch) the drift; takes one to know one (a thief to catch a thief). Also see under caught.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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