catches on (to)

verb

present tense third-person singular of catch on (to)
1
as in realizes
to come to an awareness of she caught on to the fact that they were planning a surprise party

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knows
to have a clear idea of he finally caught on to the concept of phototaxis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catches on (to)
  1. realizes
  2. knows
  3. discovers
  4. understands
  5. sees
  6. recognizes
  7. hears
  8. deciphers
Verb
  • The team realizes that the company must be moving into the military space, which would also explain the cheap batteries.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
  • While the episode appears charming and simple on the surface, an uneasiness starts to settle in as Riley realizes that Amanda and Wooly seem to be communicating directly through the television set.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of realizes
Verb
  • And proving that great beauty knows no age, Olivia Colman made a glorious case for embracing the gray.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2026
  • With a pending lockout, expiring player contracts and possible retirements, who knows what the future will hold.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of knows
Verb
  • Boneh says those efforts could help if AI discovers something unexpected, although the two threats aren’t identical.
    — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The horror-comedy musical follows Seymour, a florist who discovers a mysterious, bloodthirsty plant that brings him fame and fortune while demanding increasingly deadly sacrifices.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of discovers
Verb
  • Deadline understands that a number of executives in its unscripted casting and development teams have been impacted by the cuts.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Jasper, in Chicago, understands the risk of silencing those hunger cues.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of understands
Verb
  • Having dressed numerous actresses throughout her career, Chiuri sees a shift in red carpet culture toward individualized creations and, more recently, greater restraint.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Her firm sees the Indian currency trading around 97 per US dollar by end-2026 and at 98 rupees by mid-2027.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of sees
Verb
  • The festival said the honor recognizes his contribution to the growth of the worldwide film business and to film culture.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The honor recognizes artists who remain relevant through their artistic and personal contributions, and whose influence has made a significant impact on Latin music around the world.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of recognizes
Verb
  • Print out every word a child hears on the way to mastering language and the stack stands about as tall as a house.
    — Charles Yeomans, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Every audience hears about the tweets from Michigan’s William Lawrence, condemning the nuclear family, and New York’s Darializa Avila Chevalier, about how July 4 should be about the liberation of Palestine and Puerto Rico.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 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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Cite this Entry

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

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