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¹catch

verb \ˈkach, ˈkech\

: to use your hands to stop and hold (an object that is moving through the air)

: to use your hands to grasp and hold onto (someone or something)

: to capture and not allow (a person, animal, or fish) to escape

caught \ˈkȯt also ˈkät\ catch·ing

Full Definition of CATCH

transitive verb

a : to capture or seize especially after pursuit <catch a thief>

b : to take or entangle in or as if in a snare <catch fish in a net>

c : deceive

d : to discover unexpectedly : find <caught in the act>

e : to check (oneself) suddenly or momentarily

f : to become suddenly aware of <caught me looking at him>

a : to take hold of : seize

b : to affect suddenly

c : to grasp and hold on to (something in motion) <catch a fly ball>

d : to avail oneself of : take <caught the first opportunity to leave>

e : to obtain through effort : get <catch a ride>

f : to overtake unexpectedly —usually used in the passive <was caught in a storm>

g : to get entangled <catch a sleeve on a nail>

: to become affected by: as

a : contract <catch a cold>

b : to respond sympathetically to the point of being imbued with <catch the spirit of an occasion>

c : to be struck by <he caught a bullet in the leg>

d : to be subjected to : receive <catch hell>

a : to take in and retain <a barrel to catch rainwater>

b : fasten

: to take or get usually momentarily or quickly <catch a glimpse of a friend> <catch a nap>

a : overtake <catch the leader in a race>

b : to get aboard in time <catch the bus>

: to attract and hold : arrest, engage <caught my attention> <caught her eye>

: to make contact with : strike <the pitch caught him in the back>

a : to grasp by the senses or the mind <you catch what I mean?> <didn't catch the name>

b : to apprehend and fix by artistic means <catch a person's likeness>

a : see, watch <catch a game on TV>

b : to listen to

: to serve as a catcher for in baseball

: to meet with <catch you later>

intransitive verb

: to grasp hastily or try to grasp

: to become caught

: to catch fire

: to play the position of catcher on a baseball team

: kick over <the engine caught>

— catch·able \ˈka-chə-bəl, ˈke-\ adjective

— catch a crab

: to fail to raise an oar clear of the water on recovery of a stroke

— catch dead

: to find or see at any time —used in strongly negative constructions <wouldn't be caught dead in that shirt>

— catch fire

: to become ignited

: to become fired with enthusiasm

: to increase greatly in scope, popularity, interest, or effectiveness <this stock has not caught fire—yet — Forbes>

— catch it

: to incur blame, reprimand, or punishment <he'll really catch it from the boss if he's late again>

— catch one's breath

: to rest long enough to restore normal breathing; broadly : to rest after a period of intense activity

See catch defined for English-language learners

See catch defined for kids

Origin of CATCH

Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-French cacher, chacher, chacer to hunt, from Vulgar Latin *captiare, alteration of Latin captare to chase, frequentative of capere to take — more at heave

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to CATCH

Synonyms: bag, capture, collar, cop [slang], corral, get, glom, grab, grapple, hook, land, nab, nail, net, nobble [British slang], rap, seize, snag, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap, take hold (of)

Antonyms: miss

Synonym Discussion of CATCH

catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing. catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding <caught the dog as it ran by>. capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty <capture an enemy stronghold>. trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor. trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing <trap animals> <snared butterflies with a net>. entrap and ensnare more often are figurative <entrapped the witness with a trick question> <a sting operation that ensnared burglars>. bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey <bagged a brace of pheasants>.

Rhymes with CATCH

bach, batch, cratch, hatch, klatch, latch, match, natch, patch, scratch, snatch, thatch

²catch

noun

: a hidden problem that makes something more complicated or difficult to do

: the act of stopping a moving object (such as a ball) and holding it in your hands : the act of catching something

: a game in which two or more people throw and catch a ball

Full Definition of CATCH

: something caught; especially : the total quantity caught at one time <a large catch of fish>

a : the act, action, or fact of catching

b : a game in which a ball is thrown and caught

: something that checks or holds immovable <a safety catch>

: one worth catching especially as a spouse

: a round for three or more unaccompanied usually male voices often with suggestive or obscene lyrics

: fragment, snatch

: a concealed difficulty or complication <there must be a catch>

: a momentary audible break in the voice or breath

See catch defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of CATCH

15th century

Related to CATCH

Synonyms: booby trap, pitfall, catch-22, gimmick, gotcha, hitch, joker, land mine, snag

CATCH Defined for Kids

¹catch

verb \ˈkach, ˈkech\

caught \ˈkȯt\catch·ing

Definition of CATCH for Kids

: to capture and hold <catch a ball> <catch fish>

: to discover unexpectedly <A policeman caught them breaking the window.>

: to stop suddenly before doing something <I caught myself before blurting out the secret.>

: to take hold of <As I was falling, Grandma caught my arm.>

: to become affected by <catch fire> <catch a cold>

: to take or get briefly or quickly <He caught a glimpse of the actor.>

: to be in time for <I'll catch the next bus.>

: to grasp by the senses or the mind <I didn't catch what you said.>

: to play catcher on a baseball team

: to get tangled <She caught her sleeve on a nail.>

: to hold firmly : fasten <The lock will not catch.>

: to recover by resting <I need to catch my breath.>

— catch on

: to realize something <I finally caught on that he was teasing me.>

: to become popular <The new toy caught on quickly.>

— catch up

: to move or progress fast enough to join another

Synonym Discussion of CATCH

catch, capture, and trap mean to get possession or control of by or as if by seizing. catch is used for the act of trying to seize something or someone that is moving or hiding. <Catch that dog!> capture is used when there is a struggle or some other kind of difficulty. <Police officers captured the robbers as they tried to flee.> trap is used when there is use of a device that catches and holds the prey. <He made a living by trapping animals.>