Synonyms of catches

catches 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of catch

1

as in grabs

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

we tried to catch the kitten before she could sneak out the door

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grabs
• snatches
• captures
• seizes
• gets
• lands
• traps
• snags
• hooks
• nabs
• nets
• snares
• snaps (up)
• grapples
• takes hold (of)
• raps
• bags
• nails
• cops
• collars
• corrals
• grasps
• gloms
• holds
• arrests
• apprehends
• nobbles
• clutches
• gloves
• detains
• secures
• kidnaps
• corners
• grips
• ropes
• clasps
• ensnares
• abducts
• entraps
• rends
• fists
• lassos
• enmeshes
• bays
• fastens (on)
• latches (on or onto)
• entangles
• meshes
• wrests
• halters
• spirits (away or off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misses
• releases
• frees
• drops
• discharges
• liberates
• loosens
• unhands

2

as in gets

to become affected with (a disease or disorder)

you'll catch the flu for sure if you don't get a shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gets
• takes
• contracts
• comes down (with)
• goes down (with)
• sickens (with)
• breaks out (with)
• fails
• dies (from)
• succumbs (to)
• weakens
• sinks
• worsens
• languishes
• wastes (away)
• withers
• wilts

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovers
• gains
• comes back
• heals
• mends
• recovers (from)
• shakes (off)
• snaps back
• recuperates
• recoups
• rebounds
• rallies

3

as in stops

to bring (something) to a standstill

I caught myself just as I was about to step into the freshly poured concrete

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stops
• halts
• stalls
• arrests
• stays
• blocks
• checks
• hinders
• holds
• brings up
• suspends
• pulls up
• draws up
• stills
• holds up
• snags
• obstructs
• impedes
• ends
• balks
• fetches up
• detains
• stems
• concludes
• holds back
• terminates
• baffles
• clogs
• cuts off
• suppresses
• calls
• turns back
• dams
• discontinues
• reins (in)
• squashes
• represses
• bottlenecks
• blockades
• squelches
• stunts
• chokes off
• stanches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• persists
• keeps (on)
• moves
• runs on
• carries on
• progresses
• advances
• proceeds
• keeps up
• follows through (with)
• fares
• marches
• pushes
• stirs
• goes along
• drives
• propels
• spurs
• actuates
• impels
• wends
• goads
• budges

4

as in secures

to put securely in place or in a desired position

caught back her hair with a barrette

Synonyms & Similar Words

• secures
• fastens
• hitches
• clamps
• anchors
• sets
• fixes
• stuffs
• embeds
• moors
• entrenches
• wedges
• lodges
• implants
• ingrains

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• loosens
• looses
• unfastens
• pulls
• tears (out)
• extracts
• prizes
• roots (out)
• unlooses
• yanks
• uproots
• pries
• unfixes
• unloosens
• wrests

5

as in knows

to have a clear idea of

I didn't catch the point you were making about our nation's foreign policy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• knows
• understands
• sees
• recognizes
• deciphers
• grasps
• comprehends
• appreciates
• gets
• realizes
• perceives
• discerns
• senses
• seizes
• conceives
• apprehends
• makes
• beholds
• assimilates
• intuits
• decodes
• digs
• registers
• tumbles (to)
• catches on (to)
• twigs
• makes out
• absorbs
• picks up on
• groks
• cognizes
• cottons (to or on to)
• savvies
• digests
• penetrates
• compasses
• takes in
• pierces
• fathoms

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misses
• mistakes
• misreads
• misunderstands
• misinterprets
• misconstrues
• misconceives
• misapprehends
• misperceives

6

as in deceives

to cause to believe what is untrue

a number of media outlets were caught by the woman's hard-luck story

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deceives
• tricks
• fools
• teases
• kids
• misleads
• juggles
• deludes
• stings
• hoodwinks
• beguiles
• bamboozles
• misguides
• gulls
• dupes
• misinforms
• burns
• suckers
• gaffs
• snows
• has
• spoofs
• sucks in
• strings along
• cozens
• has on
• cheats
• takes in
• bluffs
• does a number on
• hoaxes
• humbugs
• fakes out
• cons
• buffaloes
• snookers
• gammons
• hornswoggles
• pulls one's leg
• sticks
• pulls the wool over one's eyes
• leads one down the garden path
• defrauds
• hustles
• bleeds
• squeezes
• puts on
• swindles
• shortchanges
• diddles
• flimflams
• mulcts
• chisels
• fleeces
• rooks
• skins
• euchres

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reveals
• exposes
• uncovers
• tells
• unmasks
• discloses
• shows up
• debunks
• divulges
• undeceives
• unveils
• uncloaks
• disabuses
• disenchants
• disillusions

7

as in encounters

to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face

I'll catch you at the library tomorrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

• encounters
• meets
• confronts
• greets
• happens (upon)
• runs into
• runs upon
• runs across
• stumbles (upon)
• chances (upon)
• bumps into
• accosts
• crosses paths (with)
• passes
• faces
• salutes
• crosses
• crashes (into)
• collides (with)
• crisscrosses
• hits (upon)
• tumbles (to)
• lights (upon)
• reencounters
• remeets

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escapes
• avoids
• eludes
• shakes
• evades
• shuns
• ducks
• dodges

8

as in notices

to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes

I looked out the window just in time to catch the neighbor's dog digging up my flower bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• notices
• sees
• eyes
• spots
• regards
• looks (at)
• perceives
• observes
• remarks
• watches
• beholds
• sights
• discerns
• spies
• notes
• distinguishes
• views
• witnesses
• espies
• descries
• identifies
• gets a load of
• lays eyes on
• sets eyes on
• picks out
• considers
• heeds
• inspects
• marks
• attends (to)
• scrutinizes
• scans
• glimpses
• examines
• makes out
• surveys
• picks up
• studies
• minds
• peers (at)
• glances (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignores
• neglects
• disregards
• passes over
• misses
• overlooks
• overpasses

9

as in overtakes

to move fast enough to get even with

despite the suspect's considerable lead, the fleet-footed police officer was able to catch him and make an arrest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• overtakes
• chases
• reaches
• pursues
• catches up (with)
• overhauls
• passes
• surpasses
• gains

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• falls short

catches

2 of 2

noun

plural of catch

1

as in hitches

a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized

the catch is that you have to come up with the money by tomorrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hitches
• snags
• risks
• land mines
• booby traps
• pitfalls
• kickers
• gotchas
• gimmicks
• trip wires
• traps
• snares
• jokers
• bombs
• perils
• hazards
• webs
• surprises
• lures
• catch-22's
• baits
• decoys
• bombshells

2

as in prizes

someone or something unusually desirable

everyone thought the captain of the football team was a real catch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prizes
• gems
• jewels
• treasures
• finds
• pearls
• plums
• blessings
• valuables
• spoils
• windfalls
• goodies
• brass rings
• plunders
• booties
• swags
• loots
• golds
• prides
• godsends
• glories
• treasure troves
• prize moneys
• jackpots

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• losers
• lemons

3

as in yields

the total amount collected or obtained especially at one time

the total catch for our day at the creek was six fish and a crab

Synonyms & Similar Words

• yields
• hauls
• bounties
• proceeds
• takes
• earnings
• profits
• gains
• revenues
• returns
• receipts
• bags
• incomes
• winnings
• loots
• spoils
• nets
• payoffs
• plunders
• collections
• appropriations
• grosses
• booties
• swags

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• losses
• deductions
• subtractions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of catches

Verb

The pair hope the wood-fire concept catches a spark in the area. —Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026

Also, Andrew Greif catches you up on the NHL playoffs, as round 2 is underway there, too. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 May 2026

What catches people off guard is rarely the art. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 May 2026

But then the company catches a break. —Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026

In a makeshift demonstration kitchen in Concord, California, cooking oil splatters in and around a frying pan, which catches fire on an unattended gas stove. —Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026

This superb sipper is as good a reason as any to break out your punch bowl, and is soon to become your signature once everyone at the gathering catches an eyeful, then tastes a cup-full. —Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 1 May 2026

In Bend, Oregon, Outdoor Adventure Belongs to Everyone On a visit to this adventure magnet, Sophie Morgan goes for a trek in the high desert in an off-roading wheelchair and catches an outdoor concert, washed down, of course, with a few pints of local craft beer. —Hannah Wallace, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Apr. 2026

Curtis just didn’t show much as a pass catcher in college (13 catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns in 2025). —Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026

Noun

To Panthers Stats’ point, Sanders produced 11 catches for 92 yards in the first three games of 2025. —Mike Kaye updated May 14, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2026

Stopping the transmission or ping will result in more catches. —Chad Morgenthaler, Outdoor Life, 13 May 2026

Fish catches have dropped, transport has become more difficult and families are facing rising costs as they are forced to buy potable water. —ABC News, 12 May 2026

Young had 62 catches for 998 yards and 10 TDs in three seasons for the Trojans and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. —CBS News, 12 May 2026

And now she's been rewarded by the locker room gods by finding a relationship with Banana-ball heartbreaker Jackson Olson who is considered one of the biggest catches in trick baseball history. —Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026

Center fielder Preston Hendry and right fielder Brodey Vicars made nice catches to back the pitcher. —John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026

His 147 career catches illustrate a receiving game where those track skills pay off. —Nate Atkins, New York Times, 6 May 2026

Benge made another one of those catches in center field Monday, helping out right-hander Austin Warren by robbing Tyler Freeman of extra bases. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026