1
as in realizing
to come to an awareness of
she caught on to the fact that they were planning a surprise party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knowing
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 catching on (to)
Verb
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Everyone in life faces obstacles and setbacks while trying to achieve hopes and dreams without realizing what God is doing, Tebow said.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026 -
The most pressing issue facing HD 101 is the systematic erosion of voting rights and the growing practice of racially discriminatory redistricting schemes preventing voters, especially voters of color, from fully realizing their constitutional right to elect leaders of their choice.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But knowing a lot of the athletes personally comes with its challenges.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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In fact, much of his success came from a relentless commitment to knowing what was next.—
Katie Abel,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the simplest case, an unexpected reward (say, discovering some tasty fruit when hungry, or having someone attractive declare their love for you) causes a burst of dopamine release into a part of the basal ganglia known as the striatum—specifically, the nucleus accumbens.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
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While the popularity of these app-blocking devices increases (Novelli said the company has sold more than 60,000), questions remain about their efficacy when the people who buy them are mainly discovering the devices through the internet—and talking about them on social media.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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An easy place to start is by understanding warm and cool colors, which have different attributes.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Hetzel’s contributions to the documentation and preservation of Imperial County history cannot be understated, acting as a valuable resource into understanding the truth of county infrastructure, development and industry.—
Michael James Rocha,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pitch tipping — the art of deciphering what might be coming based on small tells a pitcher might have — is a legal and common practice.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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Health care professionals are now caught between deciphering new legislation and their duty to provide quality care.—
Eleanor Sobel,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Around back-to-school time every August, health providers in Dallas are used to seeing lines of patients out the door to get routine immunizations, Huang said, but not this year.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Daughter #1 will not communicate with #2 and won’t even acknowledge her new baby and even seeing a photo of the baby can set her off.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pundits are piling on, with the groupthink of armchair analysts reflexively comparing American’s stock chart to admittedly impressive peers such as Delta and United, without recognizing their differences as compared to American, which flies the world’s largest number of passengers by far.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
16 Feb. 2026
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After the shooting, Officer Alex Villarroel interviewed one of Fisher’s neighbors who reported recognizing the suspect, and once again the Cadillac came into play.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Griffey, now 56, remembers hearing all the reasons the World Baseball Classic wouldn’t work — the spring setting, the risk for pitchers and even the concept.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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And where no parent could sit their kids within 15 feet of the Nuggets’ bench without hearing a torrent of Moe obscenities.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Catching on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catching%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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