Main Entry: ¹catch

Pronunciation: \ˈkach, ˈkech\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): caught \ˈkȯt also ˈkät\; catch·ing

Etymology: 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

Date: 13th century

transitive verb 1 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>
2 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>
3 : 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>
4 a : to take in and retain <a barrel to catch rainwater> b : fasten
5 : to take or get usually momentarily or quickly <catch a glimpse of a friend> <catch a nap>
6 a : overtake <catch the leader in a race> b : to get aboard in time <catch the bus>
7 : to attract and hold : arrest, engage <caught my attention> <caught her eye>
8 : to make contact with : strike <the pitch caught him in the back>
9 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>
10 a : see, watch <catch a game on TV> b : to listen to
11 : to serve as a catcher for in baseball
12 : to meet with <catch you later>intransitive verb 1 : to grasp hastily or try to grasp
2 : to become caught
3 : to catch fire
4 : to play the position of catcher on a baseball team
5 : 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 1 : to become ignited
2 : to become fired with enthusiasm
3 : 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

synonyms 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>.