catch

1 of 2

verb

ˈkach

ˈkech

caught ˈkȯt

also ˈkät

; catching

transitive verb

: to capture or seize especially after pursuit

catch a thief

: to take or entangle in or as if in a snare

catch fish in a net

: deceive

: to discover unexpectedly : find

caught in the act

: to check (oneself) suddenly or momentarily

He started to say the wrong thing but quickly caught himself.

: to become suddenly aware of

caught me looking at him

: to take hold of : seize

He caught her by the arm as she tripped.

: to affect suddenly

The announcement caught me by surprise.

: to grasp and hold on to (something in motion)

catch a fly ball

: to avail oneself of : take

caught the first opportunity to leave

: to obtain through effort : get

catch a ride

: to overtake unexpectedly

—usually used in the passive

was caught in a storm

: to get entangled

catch a sleeve on a nail

: to become affected by: such as

: contract

catch a cold

: to respond sympathetically to the point of being imbued (see imbue sense 2) with

catch the spirit of an occasion

: to be struck by

He caught a bullet in the leg.

: to be subjected to : receive

catch hell

: to take in and retain

a barrel to catch rainwater

: fasten

catch back a curtain

: to take or get usually momentarily or quickly

catch a glimpse of a friend

catch a nap

: overtake

catch the leader in a race

: to get aboard in time

catch the bus

: to attract and hold : arrest, engage

caught their attention

The glint of the gold in each case caught my eye, you see.

Arthur Conan Doyle

: to make contact with : strike

The pitch caught him in the back.

: to grasp by the senses or the mind

you catch what I mean?

didn't catch the name

: to apprehend and fix by artistic means

The new portrait catches her likeness perfectly.

: see, watch

catch a game on TV

: to listen to

caught the last part of the concert

: to serve as a catcher for in baseball

caught both ends of the doubleheader

: to meet with

catch you later

intransitive verb

: to grasp hastily or try to grasp

: to become caught

The kite caught in the tree branches.

: to catch fire

: to play the position of catcher on a baseball team

: kick over

the engine caught

catchable

ˈka-chə-bəl

ˈke-

adjective

an easily catchable fly ball

catch

2 of 2

noun

: something caught

especially : the total quantity caught at one time

a large catch of fish

: the act, action, or fact of catching

The shortstop made a tough catch.

: a game in which a ball is thrown and caught

played catch with his dad

: something that checks or holds immovable

a safety catch

: one worth catching especially as a spouse

: a round for three or more unaccompanied usually male voices often with suggestive or obscene lyrics

: fragment, snatch

remembered only catches of the song

: a concealed difficulty or complication

there must be a catch

: a momentary audible break in the voice or breath

Phrases

catch a crab

: to fail to raise an oar clear of the water on recovery of a stroke

catch dead

: to find or see at any time

—used in strongly negative constructions

wouldn't be caught dead in that shirt

catch fire

: to become ignited

: to become fired with enthusiasm

: to increase greatly in scope, popularity, interest, or effectiveness

this stock has not caught fire—yet

Forbes

catch it

: to incur blame, reprimand, or punishment

He'll really catch it from the boss if he's late again.

catch one's breath

: to rest long enough to restore normal breathing

broadly : to rest after a period of intense activity

Choose the Right Synonym for catch

catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing.

catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding.

caught the dog as it ran by

capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty.

capture an enemy stronghold

trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor.

trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing.

trap animals

snared butterflies with a net

entrap and ensnare more often are figurative.

entrapped the witness with a trick question

a sting operation that ensnared burglars

bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey.

bagged a brace of pheasants

Example Sentences

Verb Catch the ball and throw it to first base. She caught the ball with one hand. I dropped the book but managed to catch it before it hit the ground. I'll throw you the keys. Ready? Catch! He caught hold of her wrist. The police are working hard to catch the criminals and put them in jail. “I bet you can't catch me!” she yelled to her brother. I once caught 10 fish in a single day. In the summer, we would catch fireflies and put them in jars. I caught her just as she was leaving for work. Noun The shortstop made a tough catch. She used to play catch with her dad. Let's play a game of catch. a catch of about 20 fish See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Millennials can’t even catch a break in their leisure time.

Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2022 Revisiting heavily imitated authors of centuries past absolutely won’t catch every deserving lost work or writer.

Devoney Looser, Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2022 The Screenings also catch Spanish cinema in a magnificent year of multiple standout titles which are impacting at Spain’s domestic box office, where national titles are making much of the running.

Pablo Sandoval, Variety, 25 Nov. 2022 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the last three decades or so, around thirty people contract hantavirus each year; on average, only seven people catch the bubonic plague annually.

Elizabeth Barber, The New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2022 Of course, internal assessments and external audits like the kind the FTC has required of Twitter don’t always catch problems.

WIRED, 23 Nov. 2022 Snowy owls are one of the most agile owls, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and able to catch birds on the fly.

Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 22 Nov. 2022 People have been able to catch a movie at the Wilmette Theatre since 1913.

Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 21 Nov. 2022 But being able to rely on WR DeAndre Hopkins, to catch balls and center QB Kyler Murray, should count for a lot.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2022

Noun

In the second quarter, cornerback Trayvon Mullen stripped the ball from the Chargers’ Joshua Palmer after a catch.

José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 28 Nov. 2022 Michael Mayer to 98 receiving yards with just five yards after the catch.

Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2022 That’s when this offense is clearly at its best because his accuracy and timeliness on throws can often provide chances for his weapons to do something after the catch and make plays.

Stephen Means, cleveland, 25 Nov. 2022 Of Nix’s 287 passing yards, 144 of them came on four throws, and Oregon’s athletic skill-position guys registered 152 yards after the catch.

Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 20 Nov. 2022 Zach Ertz, who left the game early with a knee injury after a catch.

José M. Romero, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2022 The Chargers are likely to go with another grind-it-out passing game, where Herbert makes a lot of underneath passes and hopes that his receivers or running back Austin Ekeler can generate yards after the catch.

Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 13 Nov. 2022 After the highlight-reel catch, the normally stoic and reserved McLaurin was overcome with emotion.

Akeem Glaspie, The Indianapolis Star, 31 Oct. 2022 Now Jones can safely put up 200 yards through the air with a healthy serving of yards after the catch and add another 100 on the ground by himself.

Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-French cacher, chacher, chacer to hunt, from Vulgar Latin *captiare, alteration of Latin captare to chase, frequentative of capere to take — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler

The first known use of catch was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century