CATCH ON (TO) Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

catch on (to)

verb

Definition of catch on (to)

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

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

What to read next After nearly 30 years, NASA realized this near-Earth asteroid is actually a comet.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
But kidding aside, AI used in the right way can make people smarter about their health, more so than most realize.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of realize

Verb

Depending on the machine and settings, that material ends up in a purge tower built alongside the print, or in a collection of little plastic doll's-house-looking spaghetti balls, affectionately known as printer poop.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
Cringing can therefore manifest as the abashment of not knowing (yet; possibly ever) how to read something.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of know

Verb

They are discovered well beyond the bounds of the strategic map, where the winds shift, the old answers sink, and the pilot must find the way by dead reckoning.

— Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
After a five-and-a-half-year absence, Tom Cotton has recently discovered a state called Arkansas.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of discover

Verb

But the really impactful part is understanding the function and developing it into a tool.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
The committee isn’t fully aware of the muddy bog in which Taverner is currently sinking, but Lamb is starting to understand the shape of it.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of understand

Verb

But the spring 2027 shows also saw a focus on more than those two accessories categories.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Expect to see rare bottles pulled from the shelves and all manner of weird and wonderful concoctions offered up from the menu and from their encyclopedic knowledge of drinks.

— Condé Nast, cntraveler.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of see

Verb

Bahdanau was working with artificial neural networks, which had already shown promise in pattern-recognition tasks such as deciphering handwriting and identifying objects in photos.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of decipher

Verb

From the moment Errol Holden’s raps entered the public sphere in the early 2020s, listening to them has felt like hearing a stranger on the street earnestly tell you how the city has changed.

— Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
The ban remains in force, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear a further appeal early next month.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of hear

Verb

Cornyn’s disengagement has irked Paxton’s allies, who recognize Cornyn’s potential appeal to moderate voters — including those Cruz might not be able to reach.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
Among that trio was The Mayan, built in 1926 as the home of Elks Lodge 705 and recognized as a rare American example of Mayan Revival Architecture.

— Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of recognize

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.

Browse Nearby Words

catch one's eye

catch on (to)

catchpenny

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Catch on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of catch on (to)

verb

Example Sentences

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