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
  • Rhaenyra realizes that she’s been played and confronts the child.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • This young adult fantasy follows a 16-year-old who discovers a magical attack and realizes this new world of demons and mages has a connection to her mother’s death.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of realizes
Verb
  • Anyone who has sat through a mandatory team-building exercise knows the difference between a ritual that binds and a program that irritates.
    — Julia Dhar, Time, 11 July 2026
  • The 28-year-old now returns to a club that already knows how to maximize his versatility.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of knows
Verb
  • That value comes from the cast member who notices a nervous child, the detail a family discovers together, the meal that anchors the day and the fleeting sense that this experience could not have unfolded in quite the same way for anyone else.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Along the way, Cleo discovers that the monsters’ aren’t as monstrous as most everyone thinks.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 9 July 2026
Definition of discovers
Verb
  • Former Norway goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt understands the value of such an approach.
    — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Real thinking — the kind that understands a question, grasps its context and goes out to gather information before formulating a response.
    — Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of understands
Verb
  • Like Parker and filmmaker Robert Altman, another Kansas City native, Swift sees Sudeikis as a genius.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026
  • And the viewer sees the crowd too—sometimes as a great, heaving body, other times as individual figures, each with their own rapt expression.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 11 July 2026
Definition of sees
Verb
  • The African Union's Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy recognizes AI as a strategic enabler of economic transformation.
    — Babajide Ojuola, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Disability Pride Month goes beyond commemoration of the ADA, however, and recognizes and celebrates the advocacy and gains of the disability rights movement and the disability community’s culture, resilience, and unique identity.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026
Definition of recognizes
Verb
  • The most successful conductors know that extraordinary performances begin long before the audience hears the first note.
    — Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Walsh urged anyone who hears credible threats of violence, particularly in domestic situations, to report them immediately, saying early intervention gives law enforcement the best chance to prevent tragedy.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 July 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Catches on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catches%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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