catching

Pluralcatchings

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of catch.

   Catching the ball cleanly takes years of practice.

   The goalkeeper was catching every shot during the match.

   Note

   The -ing form does two jobs. After be it makes the progressive (she is catching the last train). On its own it names the action as a noun (catching a liar takes patience). Watch the phrase "is catching." With an object it is this verb. With no object and a degree word, as in more catching or highly catching, it is the "contagious" adjective.

2. 2
   adjectivecolloquial

   Able to be passed from one person to another; infectious or contagious.

   The flu is highly catching in crowded offices during winter.

   His cheerful mood was catching, and the whole team relaxed.

   Similarinfectious, contagious, communicable

3. 3
   adjective

   Attractive and appealing in a way that captures and holds attention.

   The poster's catching design drew crowds into the gallery.

   There was something catching about his easy confidence on stage.

   Similarcatchy, appealing, attractive, arresting, captivating

4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act or process of seizing or trapping something, especially something in motion.

   The catching of fish in these waters is strictly regulated.

   Her quick catching of the falling vase saved it from shattering.

   Similarcapture, trapping

   Note

   A noun that counts as well as names: in the plural, catchings means separate instances of the action. Bartholomew Parr's The London Medical Dictionary (1819) speaks of "catchings of the breath" in the early stages of an illness. Used uncountably, as in the catching of fish, it names the activity in general. Counted, it names each single catch of the breath or the hand.

Showing meanings only. Show all 4