catches

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of catch.

   He always catches his train with only seconds to spare.

   Her sharp eye catches every typo in the manuscript.

   Note

   The -es spelling has the same cause as in the noun plural. For the verb, what matters is that nearly every meaning takes a direct object: it catches a thief, a ball, a train, or catches a colleague doing something unwelcome. One use has faded. To say someone catches a husband or wife, meaning marries one, is a figurative sense now marked as dated.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of catch.

   The outfielder made two spectacular catches in the final inning.

   The contract looked simple, but it hid several costly catches.

   Note

   The spelling takes -es rather than a bare -s because the singular ends in the sibilant -ch. The plural follows only the countable meanings: an outfielder's catches, the catches a trawler brings in, the hidden catches in a deal. The game of catch is uncountable and has no plural. Children play catch, never catches. In colloquial use, a good catch is a desirable partner, and the plural works the same way.

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