Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of catch-as-catch-can 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 Their thorny flawed catch-as-catch-can humanity now stands in stark contrast to the majority of movies that have been spun off from comic books over the last 40 years. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-as-catch-can
Adjective
  • The bookstore idea came from a random day at her local coffee shop and an empty stall in the strip mall.
    Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
  • During a random search of the area, two officers accidentally stumble on a member of the gang posing as a municipal worker in a high-viz boiler suit.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The result was a mile-long line that turned scattered craftwork into synchronized production.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
  • More likely, a supernova occurs inside a galaxy loaded with numerous, scattered clouds of gas and dust.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • If senior figures display rudeness or disrespect, employees may assume that such behavior is acceptable, making selective enforcement seem arbitrary and undermining of trust.
    Andrew Binns, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Moreover, Burroughs further held that the administration’s actions were arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
    Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Catch-as-catch-can.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-as-catch-can. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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