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
-
Apparently realizing that launching feuds with other female celebrities could be bad for her burgeoning beauty-products brand, Tisdale immediately jumped into damage control mode Tuesday and had her rep insist to TMZ that her essay was not about Duff, Moore or Trainor.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026 -
And in 1945, American inventor Percy Spencer developed the microwave oven after realizing that the candy bar in his pocket began to melt near a magnetron.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The couple, who did not grow up knowing one another because of estrangements in their families, faced criticism from both sets of parents for the union.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Another resident, Carolyn Reeves, said not knowing if the annexation would bring in commercial or residential development raises suspicion.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Though the first installment, based on books by Stephenie Meyer, was released in 2008, the franchise found new fans in younger TikTok users who were just discovering it for the first time.—
Natalie Bennett,
NBC news,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Sacramento County health inspectors closed a local Asian restaurant, indoor soccer business and a market after discovering live German cockroaches, operating without a valid health permit and other food safety violations.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The key to making the right decision is understanding all your options beforehand.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
His perspective positions the next wave of transformation not around deeper analysis, but around autonomous action, systems capable of understanding situations, deciding optimal responses, and executing those responses in real time.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Dreams are a concept that humans have been fascinated with deciphering for thousands of years.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Though historians have called for further research before making claims, the proposal of a script rooted in sign language might open the chance to explore a new way of deciphering Mayan art and show the ancient civilization to be even more sophisticated and efficient than scholars even knew.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Federal officials have said agents, including those part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are seeing increases in assaults and threats against them.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Since the suitcase won’t be as easy to zip open, thieves will have a harder time seeing whether or not your belongings are valuable; this alone could prevent your bag from becoming a target.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On the whole, higher limits offer better protection, so recognizing the differences in coverage between minimum requirements and real-life needs can inform better decision-making in this regard.—
Ethan M. Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced the nominees for its 2026 Outstanding Achievement Awards, recognizing excellence in feature films, documentaries, television and music videos.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Creature tells its story, and hearing its perspective allows a dying Victor to acknowledge his mistakes.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The trial schedule was interrupted early in December when Pattis asked Underhill, the judge hearing both cases, to be allowed to withdraw from representing Diamantis in the second trial.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Catching on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catching%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share