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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In a significant step toward realizing the vision of quantum networks, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) research team has achieved a critical breakthrough.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025 -
Nikita Chibrikov picked off the pass, realizing late that it was intended for his linemate, and ultimately derailing what would have been a clear break for Nyquist.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Minnesota went into the bye week knowing how pressing this concern was.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
17 Oct. 2025
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There’s no question that the younger generation has brought their own approach to office life—prioritizing mental health, flexible scheduling, and work-life balance—and are even getting fired for not knowing how to act workplace-appropriate.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Health inspectors cited the soul food restaurant after discovering that the kitchen handwashing sink was blocked with multiple plastic buckets in the sink basin.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Levy was cast by Mark Bennett, arguably best known for discovering Amy Adams via 2005’s Junebug.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For executives rallying employees around strategy or transformation, understanding these perceptions is critical.—
Jason Del Rey,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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The findings mark a crucial advance in understanding how human life begins, and how it might be repaired.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Now, a team of international astronomers has succeeded in deciphering the gravitational wave signal, GW190412, to determine more about the collision and the resulting event that sent an infant black hole hurtling through space.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The legend began after a series of bizarre and terrifying encounters in which settlers reported seeing the ghostly figure charging through the desert, sometimes trampling livestock or vanishing into the night.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Progressive Democratic New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani has a 21-point lead in the race to become mayor of New York City, with voters seeing him as the best choice to handle the city’s problems, according to a new Fox News poll.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Delhi has been consistently prioritizing cold interests over all else—engaging with the junta in Myanmar, refraining from openly criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, engaging both Iran and Israel, and getting closer toward recognizing the Taliban as Afghanistan’s official government.—
Happymon Jacob,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
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The rebels had a scant chance of recognizing him.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The escape was initially revealed on Sunday by Guatemala’s director of prisons, who said that prison officials had only detected the scheme — in which inmates may have slipped out one by one, or in pairs — after hearing rumors and checking inmates’ biometric data.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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According to the report, Rush wanted to continue dives even after hearing the bang.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
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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 21 Oct. 2025.
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