gotcha

noun

got·cha | \ ˈgä-chə

How to pronounce gotcha (audio)

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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

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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 Quite a few people flagged her tweet as a gotcha, but there was nothing surprising about it. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "Cancel the Cancel-Culture Craziness," 25 Jan. 2021 While the Thelio is a powerful machine that can hold its own against the Mac Pro, the gotcha for creative professionals is that Adobe's photo- and video-editing software does not support Linux, the operating system that ships with it. — Scott Gilbertson, Wired, "The Best Alternatives to Apple's MacBook and Mac," 14 Dec. 2020 Anti-American nihilism and hopeless racial cynicism give the show its gotcha. — Armond White, National Review, "Lovecraft Country Is Systemic Racism Entertainment™," 26 Aug. 2020 Naturally, anti-penny campaigners use this as a fundamental gotcha. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "The Penny Is Pointless," 15 July 2020 Claire and Jack rush into her home office expecting something awful, but gotcha! — Jean Bentley, refinery29.com, "Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood Limited Series Binge Club: Episodes 1-7," 4 May 2020 Yet, when the political media isn’t preoccupied with a gotcha du jour, pundits, partisans, and journalists have seemed downright giddy to let their minions know that the United States now has the most coronavirus cases in the world. — David Harsanyi, National Review, "No, America’s Response to Coronavirus Isn’t the Worst in the World," 30 Mar. 2020 Equally disagreeable is the two-year gotcha, which is the incredibly long time that unpaid creditors have after death of the owner to drag the property back into the probate estate and force its sale. — Dallas News, "Transfer on death deeds in Texas: A disaster for many," 9 Feb. 2020 This assumes subscribers are using the right kinds of phones — and that’s another gotcha, for now. — Julio Ojeda-zapata, Twin Cities, "T-Mobile rolls out 5G with statewide coverage but modest speed increases," 4 Dec. 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near gotcha

go/take the traditional route

Statistics for gotcha

Last Updated

4 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Gotcha.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gotcha. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for gotcha

gotcha

noun

English Language Learners Definition of gotcha

US, informal : an unexpected problem or usually unpleasant surprise

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

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