gotcha

noun

got·cha | \ˈgä-chə

\

Definition of gotcha

: an unexpected usually disconcerting challenge, revelation, or catch also : an attempt to embarrass, expose, or disgrace someone (such as a politician) with a gotcha

Examples of gotcha in a Sentence

The program has a few gotchas in store for unsuspecting computer users. the gotcha in the low monthly rate quoted by the cable company is that it is a teaser and good for only six months

Recent Examples on the Web

The opinion noted, pointedly, that use of credit checks was permitted by the EEOC’s own hiring guidelines — an act of gotcha jiujitsu that was praised by the Wall Street Journal. — Dara Lind, Vox, "Trump’s reported Supreme Court finalists: Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Raymond Kethledge," 5 July 2018 Of course, in every hearing since 1987, Senators have asked gotcha questions and nominees have given evasive answers. — Jeffrey Rosen, WSJ, "What We Learn from Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings," 13 July 2018 His lack of basic human decency isn’t a gotcha to Democrat me or a victory for Republican you. — Fabiola Santiago, miamiherald, "Our indecent president calls people seeking refuge ‘animals.’ It's hate speech. | Miami Herald," 17 May 2018 Everyone makes mistakes — and the point is not to play gotcha. — Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, "Fact-checking President Trump’s ‘Fake News Awards’," 17 Jan. 2018 Now the press has its gotcha, and it’s Donald Trump Jr. Golly. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "On Don Jr., the Media Can’t Help Itself," 14 July 2017 Another gotcha in the above fine print: This card (and many others) pays loss-of-use only if verified by the rental company’s log. — Ed Perkins, USA TODAY, "Nine nasty truths about car rental insurance," 26 Oct. 2017 In the game of gotcha, this breastfeeding mom just won. — Lisa Gutierrez, kansascity, "Museum asks breastfeeding mom to cover up, so she tweets its bare-breasted statues," 8 Aug. 2017 And his attacks have spawned a cottage industry of Trump supporters who have declared a digital war of sorts against CNN, including gotcha videos of network employees and threatening messages sent to anchors’ cellphones. — Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, "The Network Against the Leader of the Free World," 5 July 2017

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about gotcha

Dictionary Entries near gotcha

go/take the traditional route

Statistics for gotcha

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for gotcha

The first known use of gotcha was in 1974

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for gotcha

gotcha

noun

English Language Learners Definition of gotcha

: an unexpected problem or usually unpleasant surprise

See the full definition for gotcha in the English Language Learners Dictionary

WORD OF THE DAY

acceptation

a generally accepted meaning of a word

Test Your Vocabulary

Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz

Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games