CATCHING ON (TO) Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

catching on (to)

verb

present participle of catch on (to)

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

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

At issue are 50-year-old legal documents that expired without most condo owners realizing it.

— Kara Finnstrom, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Sometimes those hectic summer days carpooling to camp and realizing your kids snacked through your entire Costco run in 48 hours are about survival—not making memories to last a lifetime.

— Melissa Willets, Parents, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of realizing

Verb

After games, watch out for the players craving french fries at Newbury Park and knowing someone to seek out who can help.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
The Chiefs’ running game was so listless that defenses ignored fake handoffs and instead retreated to defend the pass, knowing the consequences of guessing wrong weren’t all that punishing anyway.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of knowing

Verb

That coordination gives everyone time to confirm eligibility on the new stock, model the holding-period math and put the election deadline on the calendar rather than discovering it after the fact.

— Sharon Olson, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The greater risk is losing access to one difficult-to-replace material and discovering that an entire factory, grid project or defense program cannot proceed without it.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of discovering

Verb

Congressman Jeff Hurd, who represents Colorado’s Third District, said the project could put quantum technology to work in understanding domestic resources.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
For fellow author Marissa Stapley, Telfer’s book is key to understanding why con artists are seen as intriguing — an idea Stapley explored in her 2021 novel, Lucky.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of understanding

Verb

Toyota, Honda and Nissan benefited in their most recent quarterly reports from a historically weak currency, with the first two upgrading their full-year forecasts and the latter seeing its first profit in about two years.

— Justina Lee, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
Regardless, seeing it in practice helped show what the Bills may do at the macro and micro levels once the regular season begins.

— Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of seeing

Verb

Western San Gabriel Mountains/Highway 14 Corridor When an air quality alert pops up on the radar, deciphering its implications is crucial.

— Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 30 July 2026
Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.

— Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

Definition of deciphering

Verb

Only 7% cover accommodations for mobility limitation, hearing disability, vision impairment and sensory disabilities.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The district court judge hearing the case disagreed and ordered that the government had to continue funding legal services.

— Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of hearing

Verb

The NewBridge School Main Stage will feature author conversations alongside live music, poetry and programming recognizing America’s 250th anniversary.

— Maya Santiago, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Conversely, SkyMind offers a broader perspective, assessing situations and recognizing fear as mere information, not absolute truth.

— Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of recognizing

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

catching one's eye

catching on (to)

catching up

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Catching on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catching%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of catching on (to)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

august

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes