variants
or catch-all
plural catchalls or catch-alls
: something designed or serving to catch, hold, account for, or include miscellaneous items or a wide variety of things
The secret weapon for battling kitchen clutter in this case is a simple tray. … The trays act as catch-alls or places to neatly store anything that gets left out.—
Marie Rossiter
Marie RossiterAfter a period of rapidly rising consumer prices, "inflation" is a catchall for economic woes.—Edward Lotterman
—often used before another nounEdward Lottermana catchall bin
… long COVID, the catchall term for the sometimes debilitating health problems that can last for months or years after even a mild case of COVID-19.—Lauran Neergaard
Lauran NeergaardExamples of catchall in a Sentence
They used the drawer as a catchall for kitchen items.
“The arts” is a catchall for a variety of activities from painting to music.
Recent Examples on the Web
The catchall phrase is shorthand for the unfiltered actions of a person who is angry, anxious, confused, stressed out, or experiencing mental health issues.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 29 June 2025
The lighting and kitchenware categories are particularly robust, though there are also plenty of trinket boxes, catchall trays, and more to fuel your desire for out-of-the-box wares.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2025
Sometimes, however, the sunroom can become a catchall.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 9 June 2025
The Soviet Union covered its mistake by renaming the spacecraft: instead of becoming one of the Venera missions to Venus, the hapless spacecraft was designed Kosmos, the USSR’s catchall for its spacecraft in Earth orbit.
—Kiona N. Smith, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for catchall
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Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 29 June 2025
The lighting and kitchenware categories are particularly robust, though there are also plenty of trinket boxes, catchall trays, and more to fuel your desire for out-of-the-box wares.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2025
Sometimes, however, the sunroom can become a catchall.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 9 June 2025
The Soviet Union covered its mistake by renaming the spacecraft: instead of becoming one of the Venera missions to Venus, the hapless spacecraft was designed Kosmos, the USSR’s catchall for its spacecraft in Earth orbit.
—Kiona N. Smith, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for catchall
Cite this Entry
“Catchall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catchall. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
catchall
noun
catch·all
ˈkach-ˌȯl 
ˈkech-
: something to hold a variety of odds and ends
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