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catch

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verb American English pronunciation: catch /kætʃ/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theycatch
he/she/itcatches
present participlecatching
past tensecaught
past participlecaught
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to stop and hold something that is moving through the air, especially an object that someone throws

    She tossed the bag of potato chips to Kate, who caught it with one hand.

    "Can I borrow your pen?" "Here, catch!"

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    1. a.
      [transitive] to stop and keep hold of someone who is falling

      Anne stayed close enough to catch the child if he fell.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    2. b.
      [transitive] if a container catches liquid or small objects or pieces, they fall into it when it is below them

      Put a bucket over there to catch the drips.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    3. c.
      [intransitive] to be the catcher in baseball
      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  2. 2
    [transitive] to get hold of and stop someone you have been chasing so that they cannot escape

    She raced to catch the toddler before he could make it out of the front gate.

    "Can't catch me," her brother shouted as he ran up the stairs.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    1. a.
      to take hold of someone or a part of their body with your hands

      Jack caught her as she made for the door.

      catch someone by the wrist/elbow/sleeve etc.:

      With one swift movement, he caught her by the wrist.

      catch hold of someone/something:

      She caught hold of his arm and pulled him back.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  3. 3
    [transitive] if the police catch someone, they find them and arrest them

    The police say they're doing all they can to catch the culprits.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  4. 4
    [transitive] to stop an animal, bird, or insect and prevent it from escaping, especially using a trap

    a device used for catching flies

    We rescued a rabbit caught in a trap.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    1. a.
      to hunt and stop an animal in order to kill and eat it

      Wolves hunt in packs, using careful strategies to catch their prey.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    2. b.
      to get a fish from a river, lake, or the ocean, using a fishing net or rod

      Drift nets are used mainly for catching tuna.

      freshly/locally caught:

      freshly caught trout

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  5. 5
    [transitive] to get on a train, bus, airplane, or boat that is traveling somewhere

    I caught the next train back to New York.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    1. a.
      to arrive in time to get on a train, bus, airplane, or boat that is traveling somewhere

      If we want to catch that bus we'll have to leave right now.

      have a train/bus/plane etc. to catch:

      I have a train to catch, so we have to finish by 4:30.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  6. 6
    [transitive] to find someone doing something that they do not expect you to see, especially something wrong or illegal
    catch someone doing something:

    Several times she'd caught him staring at her.

    catch someone in the act (of doing something):

    Burglars who are caught in the act have little chance of escaping punishment.

    catch someone red-handed (=find someone doing something wrong or illegal):

    Diana was caught red-handed taking money from her mother's purse.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  7. 7
    [transitive] to get a disease or illness

    He caught the flu and had to stay in bed.

    catch something from someone/something:

    Brian caught chickenpox from his nephew.

    catch your death (of cold) (=get a bad cold):

    Get out of those wet clothes or you'll catch your death of cold.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  8. 8
    [transitive] to find someone in a situation that they are not expecting or prepared for

    The railroads had all been caught completely unprepared by the sudden snowfalls.

    catch someone at a bad moment/time:

    I've obviously caught you at a bad time. I'll come back later.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  9. 9
    [transitive] to find someone available to talk by going to or telephoning them at the place where they are

    Call me at the office. You can usually catch me there after 8:30.

    Margaret caught me just as I was leaving.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  10. 10
    [transitive] to hit someone on a part of their body

    He caught his opponent with a right cross to the chin.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
    1. a.
      to hit part of your body on something by accident

      Sue slipped in the yard and caught her head on the gate post.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  11. 11
    [intransitive/transitive] to become stuck on something, or to make something do this

    As she ran, her foot caught on something and she fell.

    I must have caught my shirt on a nail when I was moving that wood.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  12. 12
    [intransitive/transitive] to start to burn

    The dry twigs soon caught fire.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  13. 13
    [transitive] informal to see, watch, or listen to something

    Want to catch a movie tonight?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  14. 14
    [transitive] to discover a problem or medical condition and stop it from becoming worse

    Doctors assured her that her symptoms had been caught early enough to treat.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  15. 15
    [transitive] to have a sudden effect on something such as someone's attention or imagination

    Suddenly my attention was caught by a truck parked a short distance ahead.

    His campaign seems to have caught the imagination of many other Germans.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  16. 16
    [transitive] to see or smell something for a very short time
    catch sight of someone/something:

    As she went out, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

    catch a glimpse of someone/something:

    People lined the streets outside the theater to catch a glimpse of her.

    catch a whiff of something (=smell something):

    Adam caught a whiff of expensive perfume as she passed by.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  17. 17
    [transitive] [usually in negatives or questions] to hear something that someone says

    The music was so loud I didn't catch what he said.

    I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  18. 18
    [transitive] to show or represent something in a way that people can easily recognize

    It wasn't a very radical or intellectual newspaper, but it caught a mood of dissent in mid-1950s America.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  19. 19
    [transitive] if light catches something, or if something catches the light, the light shines on it and makes it look bright and shiny

    A fish in the river catches the light one second and swims off into a dark pool the next.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch
  20. 20
    [transitive] if the wind or a wave catches something, it gets behind or under it and suddenly blows or pushes it hard

    The balloon was caught by the wind and carried away.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of catch

phrases

This is the American English definition of catch. View British English definition of catch.

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