Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

catcher

 - 5 dictionary results

catch⋅er

  [kach-er]
Use catcher in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person or thing that catches.
2. Baseball. the player stationed behind home plate, whose chief duty is to catch pitches not hit by the batter.
3. a member of an aerialist team, as in a circus, who hangs head down from a trapeze and catches another member who has completed a jump or somersault through the air.
4. Metalworking. a person who feeds metal rods through a looping mill.
5. Electronics. catcher resonator.
See under Klystron.

Origin:
1300–50; ME; see catch, -er 1

catch

  [kach] verb, caught, catch⋅ing, noun, adjective
–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 catcher
catch·er   (kāch'ər, kěch'-)   
n.  One that catches, especially the baseball player positioned behind home plate who signals for and receives pitches.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
catch (sth)

  1. tv.
    to see or listen to something. (More specific than the colloquial sense, to manage to hear something.) : Did you catch that radio program about cancer last night?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

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
Cite This Source
Search another word or see catcher on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way