1
as in to realize
to come to an awareness of
she caught on to the fact that they were planning a surprise party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to know
to have a clear idea of
he finally caught on to the concept of phototaxis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch on (to)
Verb
-
As comments rolled in, Davila realized just how many people saw their own relationship dynamics in the clip.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026 -
As Sam takes control of the train, the audience watches as the passengers slowly realize something is amiss.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Peaceful but active, a place where everyone knows everyone and, mostly, everyone cares for everyone else.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
-
All of these parks have been known to their communities for their criminal activity and for those of us who grew up playing at these parks, there was never a hint that life could be otherwise.—
Rafael Perez,
Daily News,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Two of the daughter’s classmates had discovered the grisly mayhem; at the time of writing, no suspect had been identified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Keep reading to discover more tiny house options at Amazon, as well as essentials to fill your new space with.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Even though just three can alert to an emergency, many more are needed to understand what is behind those emergencies.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Those specifics aside, more stunningly, researchers discovered that these brave, early explorers of new worlds demonstrated a different way of moving than had been previously understood.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But, the aide said, the President would see me first.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
15 Jan. 2026
-
In live video, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov can be seen in their suits woring on tasks, but not yet in their seats.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
So, the thinking went, every costume, prop, and line reading is there for a reason, infinite symbolism scattered across the frame for anyone determined enough to decipher it.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
-
By building out a picture of the whales’ health, habits and diet, researchers are deciphering the many ways humans impact their lives and guiding conservation actions that may mean life or death for the orcas.—
Kelso Harper,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Police later issued a bulletin, and a Chicago police officer who had encountered Thurman just days earlier recognized him.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Josselyn used that grant to go into schools to train teachers, staff and teens on how to recognize signs of a mental health crisis and how to respond, Resko said.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The pair of cases regarding women’s sports laws is among several other high-profile cases the justices have heard or will hear this term.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Cissie Graham Lynch, a senior advisor at Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said the fight over women’s sports is rooted in biblical truth as the Supreme Court heard arguments in cases involving laws designed to protect female athletes.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Catch on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
