Synonyms of caught

caught 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in pregnant

containing unborn young within the body

after several years of trying to have a baby, the couple was surprised when they discovered she was caught

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pregnant
• gone
• expecting
• with young
• big
• expectant
• gravid
• quick
• heavy
• with child
• enceinte
• impregnated
• prenatal
• parturient
• gestational
• conceiving
• brooding
• childbearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• barren
• nonpregnant
• infertile
• delivered
• miscarrying
• aborting

2

as in arrested

taken and held prisoner

after seeing how the caught soldiers had been treated, we resolved never to be taken alive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrested
• imprisoned
• captive
• captured
• jailed
• interned
• confined
• incarcerated
• kidnapped
• behind bars
• apprehended
• trapped
• bound
• enslaved
• occupied
• abducted
• indentured
• ensnared
• subdued
• subjugated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• free
• released
• unrestrained
• unconfined
• liberated
• delivered
• freed
• emancipated
• paroled
• enfranchised

caught

2 of 2

verb

past tense of catch

1

as in grabbed

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

we tried to catch the kitten before she could sneak out the door

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grabbed
• snatched
• captured
• seized
• got
• landed
• trapped
• snagged
• nabbed
• hooked
• snared
• netted
• corralled
• copped
• nailed
• rapped
• grappled
• snapped (up)
• took hold (of)
• bagged
• collared
• arrested
• glommed
• nobbled
• apprehended
• grasped
• held
• clutched
• detained
• roped
• gripped
• cornered
• secured
• kidnapped
• gloved
• ensnared
• lassoed
• entrapped
• clasped
• enmeshed
• entangled
• abducted
• haltered
• fastened (on)
• fisted
• wrested
• rent
• meshed
• latched (on or onto)
• bayed
• spirited (away or off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missed
• released
• discharged
• freed
• dropped
• liberated
• loosened
• unhanded

2

as in got

to become affected with (a disease or disorder)

you'll catch the flu for sure if you don't get a shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

• got
• contracted
• took
• came down (with)
• went down (with)
• sickened (with)
• broke out (with)
• died (from)
• succumbed (to)
• failed
• weakened
• worsened
• wasted (away)
• sank
• withered
• languished
• wilted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovered
• gained
• came back
• healed
• recovered (from)
• mended
• shook (off)
• snapped back
• recouped
• recuperated
• rallied
• rebounded

3

as in stopped

to bring (something) to a standstill

I caught myself just as I was about to step into the freshly poured concrete

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stopped
• halted
• stalled
• arrested
• stayed
• checked
• blocked
• suspended
• stilled
• drew up
• pulled up
• brought up
• hindered
• held
• held up
• snagged
• ended
• impeded
• fetched up
• obstructed
• detained
• baffled
• balked
• concluded
• stemmed
• held back
• clogged
• dammed
• terminated
• blockaded
• cut off
• suppressed
• called
• discontinued
• turned back
• squashed
• stunted
• bottlenecked
• repressed
• reined (in)
• squelched
• choked off
• stanched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continued
• kept (on)
• persisted
• carried on
• kept up
• moved
• proceeded
• marched
• progressed
• advanced
• pushed
• went along
• ran on
• drove
• stirred
• fared
• spurred
• propelled
• followed through (with)
• actuated
• impelled
• wended
• goaded
• budged

4

as in secured

to put securely in place or in a desired position

caught back her hair with a barrette

Synonyms & Similar Words

• secured
• fastened
• clamped
• hitched
• anchored
• fixed
• moored
• set
• stuffed
• embedded
• wedged
• lodged
• implanted
• entrenched
• ingrained

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• loosened
• pulled
• loosed
• unloosed
• unfastened
• extracted
• yanked
• tore (out)
• unloosened
• uprooted
• prized
• pried
• rooted (out)
• wrested
• unfixed

5

as in knew

to have a clear idea of

I didn't catch the point you were making about our nation's foreign policy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• knew
• understood
• saw
• recognized
• deciphered
• grasped
• comprehended
• got
• appreciated
• realized
• discerned
• sensed
• apprehended
• seized
• perceived
• conceived
• made
• beheld
• dug
• made out
• caught on (to)
• registered
• assimilated
• picked up on
• decoded
• twigged
• tumbled (to)
• intuited
• savvied
• grokked
• compassed
• absorbed
• cottoned (to or on to)
• cognized
• digested
• penetrated
• took in
• fathomed
• pierced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missed
• misunderstood
• misinterpreted
• mistook
• misread
• misconstrued
• misconceived
• misperceived
• misapprehended

6

as in tricked

to cause to believe what is untrue

a number of media outlets were caught by the woman's hard-luck story

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tricked
• deceived
• fooled
• teased
• misled
• duped
• kidded
• suckered
• juggled
• hoodwinked
• snookered
• stung
• conned
• bamboozled
• strung along
• deluded
• gulled
• sucked in
• gaffed
• bluffed
• cheated
• beguiled
• misinformed
• humbugged
• misguided
• hornswoggled
• snowed
• burned
• had
• hoaxed
• cozened
• had on
• buffaloed
• gammoned
• spoofed
• faked out
• took in
• stuck
• pulled one's leg
• did a number on
• hustled
• pulled the wool over one's eyes
• swindled
• put on
• shortchanged
• defrauded
• led one down the garden path
• rooked
• flimflammed
• fleeced
• mulcted
• diddled
• squeezed
• euchred
• bled
• skinned
• chiseled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exposed
• revealed
• uncovered
• undeceived
• unmasked
• told
• showed up
• disclosed
• divulged
• unveiled
• debunked
• disillusioned
• disabused
• disenchanted
• uncloaked

7

as in encountered

to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face

I'll catch you at the library tomorrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

• encountered
• met
• confronted
• greeted
• happened (upon)
• stumbled (upon)
• ran into
• ran across
• bumped into
• faced
• accosted
• chanced (upon)
• ran upon
• crossed paths (with)
• passed
• saluted
• crossed
• collided (with)
• crisscrossed
• crashed (into)
• hit (upon)
• lit (upon)
• tumbled (to)
• reencountered
• remet

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• escaped
• avoided
• shook
• evaded
• ducked
• eluded
• shunned
• dodged

8

as in noticed

to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes

I looked out the window just in time to catch the neighbor's dog digging up my flower bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• noticed
• spotted
• saw
• eyed
• regarded
• spied
• remarked
• viewed
• noted
• observed
• sighted
• watched
• looked (at)
• perceived
• witnessed
• beheld
• discerned
• espied
• distinguished
• identified
• laid eyes on
• considered
• got a load of
• descried
• set eyes on
• picked out
• studied
• made out
• scanned
• marked
• attended (to)
• examined
• inspected
• glimpsed
• surveyed
• heeded
• scrutinized
• picked up
• glanced (at)
• peered (at)
• minded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignored
• neglected
• disregarded
• passed over
• missed
• overlooked
• overpassed

9

as in chased

to move fast enough to get even with

despite the suspect's considerable lead, the fleet-footed police officer was able to catch him and make an arrest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• chased
• overtook
• caught up (with)
• reached
• pursued
• overhauled
• passed
• gained
• surpassed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fell short

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of caught

Verb

Summit caught the turnover bug as the Jaguars lost to Red Oak 20-15. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026

As a result, Japan finds itself in a precarious position, caught between a lack of locals to fill roles in the workforce and a distrust of immigrants who can provide labor. — Christine Miyawaki, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

The owner of the files caught Krebs’ attention after showing the journalist a scan of his Virginia drivers license, strongly supporting the leak’s validity. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026

Faced with these new threats, federal, state, and local entities in the United States are caught flat-footed. — Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026

The Labor Department bans private-equity firms caught misbehaving from raising money from federal pension funds. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026

How can any of the Clippers partners or sponsors or fans trust this team with their dollars or their time or their affection after they were apparently caught knowingly breaking one of the NBA’s cardinal rules? — Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Hazardous place for journalists Haiti has become an increasingly hazardous environment for journalists, who have been kidnapped and killed, caught in the crossfire of gang attacks and had their vehicles fired on by police. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026

Seventy-seven people from one pilgrimage group were caught in the floods at the immigration office at the border, according to a post on X from Indian spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. — Shristi Kafle, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026