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
-
Svetnoy, the film's gaffer, spent the next 20 to 30 minutes rendering aid to Hutchins after realizing the cinematographer had been shot.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026 -
After realizing their predicament, the couple was forced to swim to a buoy about a mile from shore.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Guardiola used a four-man ‘non-press’, where City’s forwards formed a line and waited for their opponents to find a pass, knowing that Arsenal’s centre-backs — and cup goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga — had a comparatively limited passing range.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Every now and again, Monica, as much savvy therapist as all-knowing seer, interrupts Jean’s first-person account to offer guidance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Scientists are using Nvidia GPUs to examine the data and regularly discovering the oldest galaxies in the universe.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The Digital Fossil Mining, besides discovering the beaks in the first place, enabled Iba’s team to observe very fine details of their structure.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Government officials weren’t the only people interested in understanding Japanese Americans.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This is not about rushing to share, but about understanding what’s true for you first.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The study creates new criteria for deciphering old dice and allows archaeologists to further explore how games have evolved over time, researchers say.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
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The clicks are part of a growing sperm whale phonetic alphabet that researchers at CETI are deciphering.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Witnesses also reported seeing a man matching Willacy's description near Sather's house and driving her vehicle on the day of the murder.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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For the first time, travelers and anyone driving through LAX will start seeing the People Mover trains traveling regularly above the airport, but for now, no passengers are on board.—
Amanda Starrantino,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The top prize at the ACMs (and the rival CMA Awards), Entertainer of the Year is typically regarded as recognizing the year’s best ambassador for country music.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
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The second annual 18th & Vine Arts Festival Honors Awards will return this spring, recognizing artists who have shaped Kansas City’s cultural identity from within the urban core.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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State Department officials speaking at a US Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on Tuesday defended Washington’s approach as a pragmatic reset from aid-dependent policies.—
Adrian Elimian,
semafor.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
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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 27 Apr. 2026.
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