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
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-as-catch-can
Adjective
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Luka Dončić got traded at midnight on a random Saturday in February.
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Pinned to their random assortment of hats were scrawled, handmade signs proclaiming liberty or death.
Adjective
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If your data is messy, scattered or stale, the AI output fails.
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At Mariposa Market in Willits, grocery items, wine bottles and other merchandise tumbled from shelves, leaving aisles littered with broken glass and scattered products.
Adjective
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Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia's police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
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Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia’s police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
Cite this Entry
“Catch-as-catch-can.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-as-catch-can. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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