catch

1 to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly we tried to catch the kitten before she could sneak out the door Synonyms 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 Related Words glove, halter, lasso, rope; apprehend, arrest, detain; bay, corner; clasp, clutch, fasten (on), fist, grasp, grip, hold, latch (on or onto), secure; rend, wrest; enmesh (also immesh), ensnare, entangle, entrap, mesh; abduct, kidnap, spirit (away or off) Phrases take hold (of) Near Antonyms discharge, free, liberate, release; drop, loosen, unhand Antonyms miss

2 to become affected with (a disease or disorder) you'll catch the flu for sure if you don't get a shot Synonyms contract, come down (with), get, go down (with) [chiefly British], sicken (with), takeRelated Words break out (with); die (from), succumb (to); fail, languish, sink, waste (away), weaken, wilt, wither, worsenNear Antonyms come back, gain, heal, mend, recoup, recover, recuperate, snap back; rally, rebound, recover (from), shake (off)

3 to bring (something) to a standstill I caught myself just as I was about to step into the freshly poured concrete Synonyms arrest, bring up, halt, check, draw up, fetch up, hold up, pull up, stall, stay, still, stopRelated Words baffle, balk, block, blockade, bottleneck, clog, dam, detain, hinder, hold, hold back, impede, obstruct, snag, stem; conclude, cut off, end, terminate; call, discontinue, suspend; choke off, rein (in), repress, squash, squelch, stanch (or staunch), stunt, suppress, turn backNear Antonyms carry on, continue, follow through (with), keep (on), keep up, persist, run on; advance, fare, go along, march, move, proceed, progress, wend; actuate, budge, drive, goad, impel, propel, push, spur, stir

4 to put securely in place or in a desired position caught back her hair with a barrette Synonyms anchor, fasten, clamp, fix, hitch, moor, secure, setRelated Words embed (also imbed), entrench (also intrench), implant, ingrain (also engrain), lodge, stuff, wedgeNear Antonyms extract, prize, pry, pull, root (out), tear (out), uproot, wrest, yankAntonyms loose, loosen, unfasten, unfix, unloose, unloosen

5 to have a clear idea of I didn't catch the point you were making about our nation's foreign policy Synonyms appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, comprehend, catch on (to), cognize, compass, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understandRelated Words absorb, digest, take in; realize; fathom, penetrate, pierceNear Antonyms misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstandAntonyms miss

6 to cause to believe what is untrue a number of media outlets were caught by the woman's hard-luck story Synonyms bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, deceive, con, cozen, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, sucker, suck in, take in, trickRelated Words kid, put on, tease; bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, flam, fleece, gyp, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindleNear Antonyms debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask; disclose, divulge, tell, unveil; disabuse, disenchant, disillusionAntonyms undeceive

7 to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face I'll catch you at the library tomorrow Synonyms meet, chance (upon), encounter, happen (upon), stumble (upon)Related Words accost, confront; face, greet, salute; collide (with), crash (into); crisscross, cross, pass; hit (upon), light (upon), tumble (to); reencounter, remeetNear Antonyms avoid, dodge, duck, elude, escape, evade, shake, shun

8 to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes I looked out the window just in time to catch the neighbor's dog digging up my flower bed Synonyms behold, see, descry, discern, distinguish, espy, eye, look (at), note, notice, observe, perceive, regard, remark, sight, spot, spy, view, witnessRelated Words identify, make out, pick out, pick up; attend (to), consider, heed, mark, mind; study, watch; examine, inspect, scan, scrutinize, survey; glance (at), glimpse, peer (at)Near Antonyms disregard, ignore, neglect, overpass, pass over; miss, overlook