latch on
phrasal verb
latched on; latching on; latches on
British, informal
: to begin to understand something
What he was saying was complicated, so it took me a while to latch on.
Examples of latch on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their drama is supposed to be, in some ways, better than our own, giving us normies something to latch on to during the mundanity of our lives.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
First time, Smith latched on to a pinpoint Matty James pass to score with a low shot that beat Rovers’ goalkeeper Aynsley Pears at his near post, while the second led to Lewis O’Brien being presented with an excellent chance.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The White House has publicly latched on to Ukraine’s past battlefield difficulties or structural weaknesses as leverage to strike a hasty peace deal.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Clearly this is a complicated issue, and will definitely give me pause the next time my baby latches on.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for latch on
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
First time, Smith latched on to a pinpoint Matty James pass to score with a low shot that beat Rovers’ goalkeeper Aynsley Pears at his near post, while the second led to Lewis O’Brien being presented with an excellent chance.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The White House has publicly latched on to Ukraine’s past battlefield difficulties or structural weaknesses as leverage to strike a hasty peace deal.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Clearly this is a complicated issue, and will definitely give me pause the next time my baby latches on.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for latch on
Cite this Entry
“Latch on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/latch%20on. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share