catch

verb

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\ ˈkach

, ˈkech \

caught\ ˈkȯt

also ˈkät \; catching

Definition of catch

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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 He started to say the wrong thing but quickly caught himself.

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

2a : to take hold of : seize He caught her by the arm as she tripped.

b : to affect suddenly The announcement caught me by surprise.

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: such as

a : contract catch a cold

b : to respond sympathetically to the point of being imbued (see imbue sense 2) 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

4a : to take in and retain a barrel to catch rainwater

b : fasten catch back a curtain

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

6a : overtake catch the leader in a race

b : to get aboard in time catch the bus

7 : to attract and hold : arrest, engage caught their attention The glint of the gold in each case caught my eye, you see.— Arthur Conan Doyle

8 : to make contact with : strike The pitch caught him in the back.

9a : 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 The new portrait catches her likeness perfectly.

10a : see, watch catch a game on TV

b : to listen to caught the last part of the concert

11 : to serve as a catcher for in baseball caught both ends of the doubleheader

12 : to meet with catch you later

intransitive verb

1 : to grasp hastily or try to grasp

2 : to become caught The kite caught in the tree branches.

3 : to catch fire

4 : to play the position of catcher on a baseball team

5 : kick over the engine caught

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

catch

noun

Definition of catch (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : something caught especially : the total quantity caught at one time a large catch of fish

2a : the act, action, or fact of catching The shortstop made a tough catch.

b : a game in which a ball is thrown and caught played catch with his dad

3 : something that checks or holds immovable a safety catch

4 : one worth catching especially as a spouse

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

6 : fragment, snatch remembered only catches of the song

7 : a concealed difficulty or complication there must be a catch

8 : a momentary audible break in the voice or breath

Other Words from catch Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Phrases Containing catch Learn More About catch

Other Words from catch

Verb

catchable \ ˈka-chə-bəl

, ˈke- \ adjective

an easily catchable fly ball

Synonyms & Antonyms for catch

Synonyms: Verb

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

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Verb

miss

Choose the Right Synonym for catch

Verb

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

Examples of catch in a Sentence

Verb Catch the ball and throw it to first base. She caught the ball with one hand. I dropped the book but managed to catch it before it hit the ground. I'll throw you the keys. Ready? Catch! He caught hold of her wrist. The police are working hard to catch the criminals and put them in jail. “I bet you can't catch me!” she yelled to her brother. I once caught 10 fish in a single day. In the summer, we would catch fireflies and put them in jars. I caught her just as she was leaving for work. Noun The shortstop made a tough catch. She used to play catch with her dad. Let's play a game of catch. a catch of about 20 fish See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Early risers on Monday can catch a glimpse of Saturn and Mars side by side in the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise with the brighter Venus close by. — Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022 Starting today, Waymo employees in San Francisco will be able to catch a ride to work from its fleet of self-driving, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE cars. — Nathaniel Mott, PCMAG, 30 Mar. 2022 Michiganders may be able to catch a glimpse of the northern lights this week — weather permitting. — Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press, 29 Mar. 2022 As a result, the new system failed to flag more than 1,300 cases the legacy system was able to catch, representing at least 160 suspicious activity reports that would have gone unfiled, FinCEN said. — Dylan Tokar, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022 After recently posting his long, sleepless journey to escape Ukraine to Poland, Chmerkovskiy was finally able to catch a flight from Warsaw to Los Angeles where he was tearfully welcomed by his wife, DWTS dancer Peta Murgatroyd. — Whitney Perry, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2022 Fans will be able to catch the 2022 Kentucky Derby by tuning into NBC. — Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 18 Feb. 2022 The method would be able to catch ovarian, breast, cervical, and uterine cancer. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2022 The officer was able to catch the dog and returned it to its owner. — Joan Rusek, cleveland, 24 Jan. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Daly and other shellfish biologists have not tagged the trawlers’ catch of snow crab as a major cause of their decline. — Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2022 Oswego East’s defensive support included an over-the-shoulder running catch of a pop-up down the left field line by junior shortstop May Pasqualini. — Rick Armstrong, chicagotribune.com, 1 Apr. 2022 Cornerback Christian-Roland Wallace has made freshman receiver Tetairoa McMillan earn every catch throughout camp. — Michael Lev, The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2022 The weather can still be expected to foil spring river fishing at times, but Ohio fisheries biologists have reported that the river catch of walleye have been improving. — D'arcy Egan, cleveland, 31 Mar. 2022 The Fed’s actions have helped the unemployment rate fall to just 3.8% as the U.S. economy experienced one of the fastest recoveries from a recession in history, but there was a catch — inflation. — Will Daniel, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2022 Finley placed the ball perfectly, and Dawson did good work on the catch. — Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 28 Mar. 2022 Fellow fisherman Gerald Davis was cleaning the catch of red snapper and trigger fish on a table as the couple passed. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 25 Mar. 2022 Unlike the first, which dropped for a double to raise Diaz’s spring OPS to 1.217, Luke Raley was able to leap for the catch. — Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About catch

Dictionary Entries Near catch

catcalling

catch

catch-22

Statistics for catch

Last Updated

5 Apr 2022

Cite this Entry

“Catch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catch. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.

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More Definitions for catch

catch

verb

\ ˈkach

, ˈkech \

caught\ ˈkȯt \; catching

Kids Definition of catch

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to capture and hold catch a ball catch fish

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

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

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

5 : to become affected by catch fire catch a cold

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

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

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

9 : to play catcher on a baseball team

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

11 : to hold firmly : fasten The lock will not catch.

12 : to recover by resting I need to catch my breath.

catch on

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

2 : to become popular The new toy caught on quickly.

catch up

: to move or progress fast enough to join another

catch

noun

Kids Definition of catch (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : something caught : the amount caught at one time a large catch of fish

2 : the act of catching The shortstop made a great catch.

3 : a pastime in which a ball is thrown and caught

4 : something that checks, fastens, or holds immovable a catch on a door

5 : a hidden difficulty Dad got a raise, but there's a catch. He needs more training.

Choose the Right Synonym for catch

Verb

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.