# catch

Pronunciation: say "KACH" US /kæt͡ʃ/, UK/AUS /kat͡ʃ/

## Verb

1. To capture or snare a person or creature that would rather escape.
   - Simple: To take hold of a person or animal that is trying to get away.
   - _Rangers worked through the night to catch the escaped leopard._
   - _The net caught dozens of fish trying to swim past._
2. To take hold of or stop something as it travels through the air or, occasionally, another medium.
   - Simple: To take and hold something that is flying or moving through the air.
   - _The goalkeeper caught the cross before any striker could reach it._
   - _Quick reflexes let outfielders catch line drives that most people would miss._
3. To overtake or reach someone ahead of you, or to arrive in time for something.
   - Simple: To reach someone who is ahead of you, or to get somewhere in time.
   - _With a two-minute lead, the front runner looked almost impossible to catch._
   - _The cyclist finally caught the breakaway group near the summit._
4. To discover someone unexpectedly in the act of doing something, often wrong or embarrassing.
   - Simple: To find someone doing something wrong when they did not expect it.
   - _Security cameras caught the thief slipping out the back door._
   - _She hates to catch her students copying each other's work._
5. To become infected by an illness after being exposed to it.
   - Simple: To get an illness from someone or something around you.
   - _Children often catch chickenpox from classmates during an outbreak._
   - _She caught a stomach bug while traveling abroad._
6. To attract and momentarily hold a sense such as sight or hearing.
   - Simple: To draw and hold someone's eye, ear, or attention.
   - _A flash of red caught her eye across the gallery._
   - _Certain melodies catch the ear and linger for days._
7. To notice or perceive something, often briefly or by chance.
   - Simple: To see or notice something, often only for a short moment.
   - _She caught a flicker of doubt in his expression._
   - _Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement near the door._
10. Of fire, a feeling, or an influence, to spread to something or pass from one person to another and take hold.
   - Simple: Of fire or a feeling, to spread to something or someone else and take hold.
   - _The fire caught the neighboring barn before anyone could react._
   - _Firefighters soaked the shed so the flames would not catch the house next door._
11. To board and travel by a means of transportation, especially before it departs.
   - Simple: To get on a bus, train, or plane to travel somewhere.
   - _I usually catch the 7:15 bus into the city._
   - _They caught a ferry across the bay at dawn._
12. To take in an entertainment, such as a show, film, or broadcast, by watching or listening. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To watch or listen to a show, movie, or other entertainment.
   - _I caught the band's final set before heading home._
   - _Fans lined up to catch the midnight premiere._
13. To become stuck or entangled on something, or to grip or snag something so that it is held fast: "My sleeve caught on a nail."
   - Simple: To get stuck on something, or to hold onto something so it can't move freely.
   - _His sleeve caught on the door handle as he rushed out._
   - _Cheap zippers often catch and refuse to budge._
15. To take or replenish something needed, such as one's breath or some sleep.
   - Simple: To get a little rest or breath, especially after hard work.
   - _He paused at the top of the stairs to catch his breath._
   - _The nurses caught what little sleep they could between shifts._
16. To suffer or be hit by something unpleasant, such as a blow, blame, or criticism.
   - Simple: To be hit by, or have to deal with, something bad, like a blow or blame.
   - _He caught an elbow to the face while going up for a rebound._
   - _Stand back, or you'll catch the full force of the blast._
26. To grasp something mentally; to perceive and understand it.
   - Simple: To understand what someone means or says.
   - _I didn't quite catch your point. Could you explain it again?_
   - _She caught the subtle irony in his remark immediately._
27. To engage with a mechanism; to stick or succeed in initiating a process.
   - Simple: To connect or lock into place so a thing starts working.
   - _The gears need to catch before the machine will run._
   - _After a few tries in the cold, the old truck's engine finally caught and rumbled to life._
30. To charm or captivate someone, holding their affection or fascination.
   - Simple: To charm someone so much that they feel drawn to you.
   - _Of all the paintings in the gallery, a small seascape caught his fancy, and he went back to see it every week._
   - _A charismatic speaker will catch a crowd within the first minute._
31. To capture and reproduce the spirit, mood, or essence of something faithfully.
   - Simple: To show or copy the true feeling of something so others can see it.
   - _The portrait caught her quiet determination perfectly._
   - _Few writers can catch the rhythm of everyday speech so well._
32. To take on a feeling, mood, or attitude from others, as if by infection.
   - Simple: To pick up a feeling or habit from the people around you.
   - _She caught the festive spirit the moment she walked in._
   - _Crowds can catch a sudden wave of panic from one shout._
33. To take on the effect of something, such as sun or wind, by being exposed to it.
   - Simple: To be touched or affected by something through being exposed to it.
   - _Her cheeks caught the sun during the long afternoon hike._
   - _Without a hat on the lake all afternoon, he was bound to catch too much sun._
34. To make a sudden grasping or snatching motion toward something.
   - Simple: To reach out quickly and try to grab at something.
   - _He caught at her sleeve, but she pulled away._
   - _Desperate hands catch at any hold on the cliff face._
18. To land a blow on someone, whether with a fist, a foot, a weapon, or something similar.
   - Simple: To hit someone with a punch, a kick, a weapon, or something similar.
   - _If you lean in too far, he'll catch you with a right hook._
   - _A late tackle caught the striker on the ankle as he lined up his shot._
19. To take a sudden, firm hold of someone or something.
   - Simple: To quickly grab and hold someone or something.
   - _She caught him by the sleeve just as he turned to go._
   - _Riders who stand should catch hold of a strap before the train pulls out._
20. In surfing, to get onto a moving wave in a way that lets one ride it back to shore.
   - Simple: To get onto a wave in a way that lets you ride it back to the shore.
   - _Kayakers should look for rocks along the point before they try to catch a wave there._
   - _He caught the biggest wave of the morning and rode it almost to the sand._
21. In cricket, to dismiss a batter by taking the ball they have struck before it first touches the ground.
   - Simple: In cricket, to get a batter out by catching the ball they hit before it touches the ground.
   - _The opener had made forty when he was caught at slip off a rising delivery._
   - _Captains post fielders on the boundary, hoping to catch batters who try to clear the ropes._
22. In baseball, to play the position of catcher for a particular period, such as several innings or a whole game.
   - Simple: In baseball, to play as the catcher for a set amount of time, like a whole game.
   - _Rodriguez will catch the second game of Sunday's doubleheader so Martinez can rest his legs._
   - _He had caught for nine innings in the heat and could barely stand afterward._
24. To take in, or be acted on by, something such as wind, water, or fire, often by being in its path.
   - Simple: To take in something like wind, water, or fire, or to be touched by it.
   - _Barrels at each corner of the house catch rainwater running off the roof._
   - _When the breeze finally came, the sails caught and the boat slid away from the dock._

## Noun

8. An act of catching a moving object, especially a ball; in cricket and baseball, catching a hit ball before it touches the ground, which puts the batter out.
   - Simple: When someone catches something moving, like a ball, before it falls to the ground.
   - _When the vase tipped off the shelf, my brother made a lucky catch inches from the floor._
   - _Spectators applauded a series of spectacular catches throughout the match._
9. A hidden drawback or difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.
   - Simple: A hidden problem or trick in something that seems good.
   - _The startup's funding came with a catch: the founders had to relinquish control._
   - _Investors searched the proposal for any catches before signing._
25. An informal game in which players toss a ball back and forth to one another.
   - Simple: A simple game where people throw a ball back and forth and catch it.
   - _They spent the afternoon playing catch in the park._
   - _A quiet game of catch helped the brothers reconnect._
14. Something that has been captured or caught, especially fish or game.
   - Simple: A thing or animal that has been caught, such as fish.
   - _The trawler's catch was sorted and packed on deck._
   - _Local markets buy the morning's catches directly from the boats._
28. A fastening mechanism, especially a clasp that keeps something from opening.
   - Simple: A small part, like a clasp, that holds something shut.
   - _The cabinet's catch clicked into place when she shut the door._
   - _Rust had seized the catches that held the trunk closed._
29. A person regarded as a desirable romantic partner or prospective spouse. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person seen as a great boyfriend, girlfriend, or future husband or wife.
   - _With his charm and steady job, he was considered a real catch._
   - _Her friends kept telling her she'd found a wonderful catch._
17. A momentary falter in someone's voice that comes from strong emotion.
   - Simple: A short pause in someone's voice that happens when they feel something very strongly.
   - _With a slight catch in her voice, the coach thanked the team for a season she would never forget._
   - _The senator paused, and a catch crept into his voice as he read the names of the soldiers who had died._
23. An occasion on which someone notices something, hears it, or grasps what it means.
   - Simple: A time when someone notices, hears, or understands something.
   - _Good catch on the dosage error. That mistake could have sent the patient back to the hospital._
   - _Her sharp catches during code review have saved the team weeks of work._

## Other meanings

- (noun) An instance of grabbing or capturing someone or something.
- (noun) A sudden sharp pain or stiffness in a muscle, often brought on by an awkward movement.
- (noun) A short snatch of a tune or poem.
- (noun) A state of watching and waiting to seize something, as when lying in ambush.
- (noun) A crop that has sprouted and become established in the field.
- (noun) A strongly built sailing boat, generally with two masts, now usually called a ketch.
- (noun) A comic round in which singers start the same tune at different times, traditionally a men's song, often with crude words.
- (noun) A chorus repeated after each verse of a song.
- (noun) A player judged by how well they catch the ball, especially one who does it reliably.
- (noun) The moment an oar blade first enters the water at the start of a stroke.
- (noun) A brief hitch in breathing that sounds like a small cough.
- (noun) Short moments or chances grabbed whenever they come, as in working by fits and starts.
- (noun) A faint recollection or lingering hint of something.
- (verb) To trap someone into a mistake or fool them with a trick.
- (verb) To win someone as a husband, wife or partner.
- (verb) To conceive a child, a sense found only in past forms such as she caught or had caught.
- (verb) To get something snagged on an obstacle or held up by it.
- (verb) To dig the oars into the water at the start of a stroke.
- (verb) Of a seed or plant, to sprout and take root.
- (verb) In programming, to intercept and deal with an exception raised by code.
- (verb) To grab a favorable chance the instant it comes, before it slips away.
- (verb) Of bait or tackle, to work well or badly at catching animals, especially fish.

## Origin

"Catch" comes from Middle English cacchen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman cachier, a variant of Old French chacier, which goes back to Late Latin captiāre and Latin captāre, a form of capere ("to seize"). This makes it a doublet of "chase," and it is akin to Modern French chasser and Spanish cazar. The verb became irregular, possibly influenced by the similar word "latch," and remains irregular in Modern English.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/catch (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).