catch
catch [kăch, kĕch] verb
caught [kôt], catching, catches
verb, transitive
1. To capture or seize, especially after a chase.
2. To take by or as if by trapping or snaring.
3. a. To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally: He was caught in the act of stealing. b. To become cognizant or aware of suddenly: caught her gazing out the window.
4. a. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp: caught me by the arm; caught the reins. b. To grab so as to stop the motion of: catch a ball.
5. a. To overtake: The green car caught me on the straightaway. b. To reach just in time; take: caught the bus to town; catch a wave.
6. a. To hold, as by snagging or entangling. b. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair. c. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour.
7. To hit; strike: a punch that caught me in the stomach.
8. To check [oneself] during an action: I caught myself before replying.
9. To become subject to or to contract, as by exposure to a pathogen: catch a cold.
10. a. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival. b. To suffer from the receipt of [criticism, for example]: caught hell for being late.
11. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch. I caught a hint of sarcasm in your response.
12. a. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning. b. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
13. To attract and fix; arrest: couldn't catch their attention; caught the teacher's eye.
14. To charm; captivate.
15. a. Informal. To go to see [a performance, for example]: caught the midnight show. b. To get [something required], usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
verb, intransitive
1. To become held, entangled, or fastened: My coat caught in the car door.
2. To act or move so as to hold or grab someone or something: tried to catch at the life preserver.
3. To be communicable or infectious; spread.
4. To ignite: The fire caught.
5. Baseball. To act as catcher.
noun
1. The act of catching; a taking and holding.
2. Something that catches, especially a device for fastening or for checking motion.
3. a. Something caught: The mistake you found was a good catch. b. Informal. One, such as a person or thing, that is worth catching.
4. Sports. a. The grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground. b. A game of throwing and catching a ball.
5. A quantity that is caught: The catch amounted to 50 fish.
6. A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice.
7. A stop or break in the operation of a mechanism.
8. Informal. A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback: It sounds like a good offer, but there may be a catch.
9. A snatch; a fragment.
10. Music. A canonical, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.
phrasal verb.
catch on
1. To understand; perceive.
2. To become popular: Skateboarding caught on quickly.
catch out
To detect [another] in the act or process of wrongdoing. catch up
1. To snatch: The mugger caught the wallet up and fled.
2. To detect [another] in a mistake or wrongdoing: Auditors caught up with the embezzler.
3. To come up from behind; overtake.
4. a. To become involved with, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal. b. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.
5. a. To bring up to date; brief: Let me catch you up on all the gossip. b. To bring an activity nearer to completion: I must catch up on my correspondence.
idiom.
catch fire
1. To ignite.
2. To become very enthusiastic.
3. To become the subject of great interest and widespread enthusiasm: an idea that caught fire all over the country.
catch it Informal
To receive a punishment or scolding.
catch [one's] breath
To rest so as to be able to continue an activity.
[Middle English cacchen, from Old North French cachier, to chase, from Latin captāre frequentative of capere, to seize.]
catchʹable adjective
Synonyms: catch, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, snare, tangle, trap. The central meaning shared by these verbs is "to take in and hold as if by using bait or a lure": caught in her own lies; enmeshed in the neighbors' dispute; ensnaring an unsuspecting dupe with fast talk; became entangled in his own contradictions; entrapped by a skillful interviewer into making a damaging statement; snared by false hopes; tangled by his own duplicity; trapped into making an incriminating admission.