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

catches on (to)

verb

present tense third-person singular of catch on (to)

as in realizes

to come to an awareness of she caught on to the fact that they were planning a surprise party

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as in knows

to have a clear idea of he finally caught on to the concept of phototaxis

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catches on (to)

Verb

Once again, when Daniella realizes how hard some cha-cha moves might be for Ezra to actually do — the chasses and hip action especially — the two figure out how to make the dance work for him.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
While the deal terms are not about Bonta, surely the AG realizes that his reputation in Hollywood was on the line too.

— Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of realizes

Verb

Khadijah had insisted on nursing their newborn Aziza with her own breast milk, but Latif discovers that only a few pouches remain in the fridge and formula makes his baby sick.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Clients will be informed of releases by newsletter, but, as Risso stresses, the Bureau is open to anyone who discovers it.

— Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of discovers

Verb

Deadline understands that 11% of staff in BBC Media Tech applied for voluntary redundancy, but only 40% (the 151 figure) can be accepted.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Meta's Edge Meta, thanks to Facebook and Instagram in particular, understands how human beings interact with one another online.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of understands

Verb

Surely, The New York Times suggests in its review of the book, Green sees himself in Juniper’s need to be taken seriously as an adult.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Naish looks at that long curved snout and sees an ibis, one of the wading birds with a slender downcurved bill.

— Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of sees

Verb

The constitution recognizes the right to vote for Moroccans living abroad, but there is no voting by mail or ballot boxes at Moroccan consulates.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
Related Stories Berger will receive the Evolution Vision Award, which recognizes narrative excellence reflecting the mission of building bridges between cultures and people.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of recognizes

Verb

Making the editing process even more complex was the fact that Jamal hears three voices.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
Deadline hears that Paramount has agreed to some CNN guardrails, financial penalties linked to CEO David Ellison‘s 30 movies a year commitment, and some sort of separation of the studios for a period.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of hears

Verb

Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.

— Kif Leswing, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
With that base knowledge and his opponent’s game tape, Nolan analyzes wide receiver alignments and deciphers the offense's attack.

— Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Sep. 2025

Definition of deciphers

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

catches one's eye

catches on (to)

catches up

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“Catches on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catches%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of catches on (to)

verb

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