as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
we're always having drop-in guests at our beachfront cottage, and sleeping arrangements tend to be catch-as-catch-can
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Recent Examples of catch-as-catch-can
Here’s the writer Nick Paumgarten trying to drum up a Talk of the Town piece by wandering through the East Village and questioning random New Yorkers about what’s on their minds, a catch-as-catch-can method that, in its way, reflects the magazine’s democratic openness.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
There’s a certain catch-as-catch-can ephemerality to this work, which tends to appear for quick two- or three-day engagements, sometimes in familiar places—Lincoln Center’s dizzying Festival of Firsts (in the David Rubenstein Atrium, through Oct. 23), for instance—and sometimes farther afield.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Prison is a kind of black-comedic version of a factory: in contrast to the catch-as-catch-can prisons of preindustrial times, everyone is assigned a role and compelled to conformity through regimentation or isolation.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
The old days of barnstorming teams playing catch-as-catch-can schedules was no longer an acceptable business model.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2024
Cone collection, done by local residents who are paid by the bushel, is a catch-as-catch-can kind of business.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
There’s a certain catch-as-catch-can ephemerality to this work, which tends to appear for quick two- or three-day engagements, sometimes in familiar places—Lincoln Center’s dizzying Festival of Firsts (in the David Rubenstein Atrium, through Oct. 23), for instance—and sometimes farther afield.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Prison is a kind of black-comedic version of a factory: in contrast to the catch-as-catch-can prisons of preindustrial times, everyone is assigned a role and compelled to conformity through regimentation or isolation.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
The old days of barnstorming teams playing catch-as-catch-can schedules was no longer an acceptable business model.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2024
Cone collection, done by local residents who are paid by the bushel, is a catch-as-catch-can kind of business.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-as-catch-can
Adjective
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The high-value heirlooms underscore that Dunn’s Attic isn’t your typical thrift store of second-hand donations or a rummage sale’s random assortment.—
Colleen McNally Arnett,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
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That precious metal market volatility isn't just random noise, though.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The scattered protests erupted Saturday at universities following 40-day memorials for people killed in January during antigovernment rallies.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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Instead of building individual homes on scattered sites, Reclaiming Chicago aims to transform whole neighborhoods at once, sometimes taking over large vacant lots and planting groups of more than 100 affordable homes.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But hitting arbitrary targets has never been the point of the ratings game; what really matters in Milan is that NBC is clearing all its guarantees to advertisers.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Lusverti added that the list of beneficiaries fails to cover key periods of arbitrary detentions, including cases between 2020 and 2024, and raised concerns that the same courts that ordered the imprisonments are now responsible for administering the amnesty.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catch-as-catch-can.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-as-catch-can. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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