1
as in realized
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 understood
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 caught on (to)
Verb
-
Alison Malmon realized from the depths of grief that no one was talking about mental health.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026 -
Researchers quickly realized that the film was likely one that science-fiction enthusiasts had been aware of for decades, but had never laid eyes on, a film that existed more in legend than reality.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Even when plans are understood, retrogrades can require rescheduling due to factors beyond our control, so keep your calendar flexible.—
Annabel Gat,
Vogue,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The tariffs case must therefore be understood as a warm-up act in the fight to preserve the core of American democracy, rather than the main event.—
David Pozen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Conservationists kept looking, however, and in the late 1970s, a new population of the birds was discovered.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Rediscovery of ancient creatures Back in the 1970s, the team discovered the fossils eroding from a rock formation on the Noonkanbah cattle station, located east of the isolated township of Derby in the Kimberley.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Collaery said Duggan was unaware of Su Bin’s hacking operations and knew him at the time as an employment broker for a Chinese state aviation company.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
An Hour-Long Fight Yields Massive Surprise The moment the bite came, Kenny knew this was different.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The deep booms, which on clear nights can be heard across the forest, attract female kakapo to the bowls.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
In other footage, filmed farther down the driveway, automatic gunfire can be heard, while a third video taken at the same time shows thick black smoke emanating from the site.—
Gonzalo Zegarra,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Social media addiction is not recognized as an official disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the standard reference psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners use to assess and treat patients.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Many of those songs have become rock standards, recorded and re-recorded by a variety of artists — songs instantly recognized and hummable.—
Oline Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The sun dances to its own (currently less-than-deciphered) rhythms, moving through an 11-year-long cycle.—
Sarah Scoles,
Scientific American,
10 Dec. 2025
-
At first this voice from the heavens has seemingly sent a benign message but it’s quickly deciphered to be a DNA cocktail for Earthlings to investigate.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Aviation analyst Peter Layton of the Griffith Asia Institute, a former Royal Australian Air Force officer, told CNN that China could have learned a range of things from Brown.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Investigators learned that a majority of the suspects were active-duty Navy and that many were associated with criminal street gangs, official said.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Caught on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caught%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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