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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Released on Netflix in September 2020, the film revolves around a reclusive gamer, Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), who locks himself up inside his apartment after realizing that a deadly virus is raging outside.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025 -
Body camera footage obtained by FOX 4 in Dallas shows officers and good Samaritans searching for a baby girl before realizing she was pinned beneath the car.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At last weekend’s general assembly of Barcelona club members, Laporta tried to thread a delicate path when defending the plan to play a domestic game over 4,500 miles away, knowing that Tebas is not exactly popular with his team’s supporters.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Her mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, was working her shift at Hennepin County Medical Center, where several of the wounded were taken, before even knowing her children’s school was involved.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His motorsports journey took a slightly different path compared to other F1 prospects, dreaming of being a NASCAR driver before discovering his strength lay in road courses.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Joe Flacco is discovering the pleasures of dining alone.—
Keith Pandolfi,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Without understanding what her body is undergoing, Pagli dies alone in labor.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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Redditors in the comment section were appreciative of the woman’s lighthearted attitude about the mix-up and praised her for being understanding.—
Emily Rella,
PEOPLE,
29 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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In his eight wins, all eight have come inside the distance, with only two fights seeing a second round.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Looking forward to seeing Becks on our plane ride home.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The award, recognizing the top small forwards in women’s college hoops, is presented annually by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
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Further recognizing his long ties to Hollywood, in 1988 Garavani received the Gold Keys to the city of Beverly Hills, one of many accolades and honors he would be bestowed during his life, from Cavaliere di Gran Croce, to Cavaliere del Lavoro and Knight of the Legion of Honor.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nevertheless, after hearing that exchange, my Athletic colleague Ken Rosenthal tracked down the manager himself to explore this very topic.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Even after hearing that member's most candid review of the experience, Willmore admits that his younger self still longed to be a part of Greek life.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
24 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 30 Oct. 2025.
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