caught on (to)

verb

past tense of catch on (to)
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

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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)
  1. realized
  2. understood
  3. discovered
  4. knew
  5. heard
  6. recognized
  7. learned
  8. deciphered
Verb
  • After some coaxing from family, Ramirez realized he was perfectly equipped to create mobile kitchens from scratch.
    — Jacob Sisneros, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
  • Rowland realized the power of travel on her very first plane ride, heading from Atlanta to Pittsburgh to visit her uncle.
    — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 25 July 2026
Definition of realized
Verb
  • Thomas Jefferson, that most infuriatingly complex of our nation’s founders, understood this.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 July 2026
  • Manufacturers often continue specifying virgin materials because their performance is well understood, while comparable data for recycled alternatives remain limited.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026
Definition of understood
Verb
  • The researchers discovered that seaweeds accumulate critical minerals from the surrounding seawater into their tissues, sometimes in exponential concentrations.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026
  • The flowering Arisaema mcmahanii or cobra lily, discovered by Scott McMahan and his Vietnamese colleagues.
    — Felicia Feaster, AJC.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of discovered
Verb
  • The suit alleges those employees knew the warehouse constructed on the property in 2022 would be used for fireworks storage and operations but did not enforce applicable safety and environmental requirements.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
  • When the requests started piling up into the 100s, Vraa knew he on to something.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Definition of knew
Verb
  • Others were in town for a convention and had heard about the giveaway, and yet others were there to show support for the new addition to downtown San Jose.
    — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 24 July 2026
  • In call audio released Friday, at least one gunshot can be heard in the background as a dispatcher works to get information from the caller.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
Definition of heard
Verb
  • However, funding for surveillance and response capacity remains widely recognized as a cornerstone for effective outbreak control.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
  • The national chain is recognized for its diverse customizable drink menu and bubbly customer service.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of recognized
Verb
  • Katrina Shadix, an anti-bear-hunt activist near Orlando, learned through a public-records request that the FWC accessed her DAVID information 17 times between 2023 and 2025.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
  • According to the lawsuit, Hadley learned in early June 2016 that Ian’s application to assume the mortgage had been denied.
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
Definition of learned
Verb
  • Its successor script, Linea B, was also a mystery until it was deciphered in 1952 by an amateur linguist and cryptographer Michael Ventris with the help of classicist John Chadwick, both building on patterns in the script first identified by classicist Alice Kober.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • The signature was deciphered with the help of AI, and specialists at auction house Lyon & Turnbull were able to confirm that Cadell was the artist.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 20 June 2026
Definition of deciphered
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

caught one's eye
caught on (to)
caught up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Caught on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caught%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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