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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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
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Deputy Jaramillo’s legacy of integrity, compassion, and courage will continue to live on in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Imagine me at lunch or dinner breaks on that movie, sitting between the two of them—Peyton and Bradley—knowing little to nothing about football.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The military showed us a map of Hamas tunnel routes Israeli forces are still discovering and demolishing in the area.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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James Watson, a renowned molecular biologist and one of the Nobel Prize winners for discovering the structure of DNA, died Thursday after a brief illness, according to a statement from his former employer.—
Christina Zdanowicz,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The key to making the right decision is understanding all your options beforehand.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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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
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Dreams are a concept that humans have been fascinated with deciphering for thousands of years.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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What airports are seeing flight cancellations?—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Polls show that economic impacts are driving the voting bloc the most and Latino businesses across the country, from Miami to Los Angeles, are seeing a drop in foot traffic because of ICE agents targeting their communities.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Long before making music of his own, Harper spent time consuming the works of his famous relatives and hearing about their times in the studio and on the road.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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But after hearing her story, an NPR listener reached out and paid her overdue balance.—
NPR,
NPR,
6 Nov. 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 10 Jan. 2026.
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