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- Dictionarycatch/katʃ/
verb
- 1. intercept and hold (something which has been thrown, propelled, or dropped): "she threw the bottle into the air and caught it again" Similar seizegrabsnatchseize/grab/take hold oflay (one's) hands onget one's hands ongraspgripclutchclenchfasten onpluckholdhang on toreceiveacquiregetcome into possession ofinterceptOpposite drop
- ▪ intercept the fall of (someone): "he fell forwards and Linda caught him" Similar seizegrabsnatchseize/grab/take hold oflay (one's) hands onget one's hands ongraspgripclutchclenchfasten onpluckholdhang on toreceiveacquiregetcome into possession ofinterceptOpposite drop
- ▪ seize or take hold of: "he caught hold of her arm as she tried to push past him" Similar seizegrabsnatchseize/grab/take hold oflay (one's) hands onget one's hands ongraspgripclutchclenchfasten onpluckholdhang on toreceiveacquiregetcome into possession ofinterceptOpposite drop
- ▪ grasp or try to grasp: "his hands caught at her arms as she tried to turn away"
- ▪ dismiss (a batter) by catching the ball before it touches the ground: "I was caught on the square-leg boundary for 96"
- 2. capture (a person or animal that tries or would try to escape): "we hadn't caught a single rabbit" Similar captureseizeapprehendtakearrestlay hold oftake prisonertake captivetake into custodyhaul intrapsnareensnarenethookreel inlandbeachbaginformal:nabcollarrun inbustpull indofeel someone's collarpinchnickOpposite release
- ▪ succeed in reaching a person who is ahead of one.
- ▪ unexpectedly find oneself in (an unwelcome situation): "my sister was caught in a thunderstorm"
- ▪ surprise (someone) in an incriminating situation or in the act of doing something wrong: "he was caught with bomb-making equipment in his home" Similar discoverdetectfindcome upon/acrossstumble onchance onlight onbring to lightturn upexposefind outunmasksurprisetake by surprisecatch unawarescatch off guardcatch red-handedcatch in the actcatch outburst in on
- ▪ come upon (someone) unexpectedly: "unexpected snow caught us by surprise"
- 3. (of an object) accidentally become entangled or trapped in something: "a button caught in her hair"
- ▪ have (a part of one's body or clothing) become entangled or trapped in something: "she caught her foot in the bedspread" Similar become trappedbecome stuckstickbecome wedgedbecome entangledbecome snarled upbecome snaggedsnag
- ▪ fix or fasten in place: "her hair was caught up in a bright scarf"
- 4. reach in time and board (a train, bus, or aircraft): "they caught the 12.15 from Oxford" Similar be in time forreach in timemakeget toboardget onentergo on boardgo aboardstep aboardmountascendembarkinformal:hop onjump onformal:embusentrainemplaneOpposite missalight
- ▪ reach or be in a place in time to see (a person, performance, programme, etc.): "she was hurrying downstairs to catch the news"
- ▪ attend or watch (a performance): informal North American "we'll get some burgers and catch a movie"
- 5. engage (a person's interest or imagination): "it was the business scheme that had caught his imagination" Similar engagecaptureattractdrawgaingrabarrestseizeholdwinabsorbengrossrivetgripcaptivatebewitch
- ▪ perceive fleetingly: "she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror" Similar perceivenoticeobservediscerndetectnotebecome aware ofmake outspotseeinformal:clockOpposite miss
- ▪ hear or understand (something said), especially with effort: "he bellowed something Jess couldn't catch" Similar hearperceiverecognizediscernmake outunderstandcomprehendgrasptake infathompuzzle outapprehendget to the bottom ofunraveldecipherfollowkeep up withinformal:getget the drift ofget the hang ofcatch on tolatch on tomake head or tail offigure outget the pictureget the messagetwigsuss outsuss
- ▪ succeed in evoking or representing: "the programme caught something of the flavour of Minoan culture" Similar evokeconjure upsuggestsummon upcall to mindrecallexpressreproducerepresentshowencapsulatecapturerecordfilmphotographdrawpaint
- 6. strike (someone) on a part of the body: "Ben caught him on the chin with an uppercut" Similar hitstrikeslapsmackcrackbangconnect withcontactOpposite miss
- ▪ accidentally strike (a part of one's body) against something: "she fell and caught her head on the corner of the hearth"
- 7. contract (an illness) through infection or contagion: "he served in Macedonia, where he caught malaria" Similar become infected withcontractgettakebecome ill/sick withfall ill/sick withbe taken ill withshow symptoms ofsuccumb todevelopgo/come down withsicken forfall victim tobe struck down withbe stricken withgo down withinformal:take ill withtake sick withOpposite shake offescape
- 8. become ignited and start burning: "the rafters have caught" Similar ignitebecome ignitedburnstart burningflamecatch/take fireburst into flamesflame upkindleOpposite go out
- ▪ (of an engine) fire and start running: "the generator caught immediately" Similar startstart runningfirebegin workinggofunctionoperateOpposite stop
noun
- 1. an act of catching something, typically a ball.
- ▪ an act of catching the ball to dismiss a batter: "he took a brilliant catch at deep square leg"
- ▪ an amount of fish caught: "the UK's North Sea haddock catch" Similar haulnetbagtakeyieldbootyprize
- ▪ a person considered desirable as a partner or spouse: informal "I mistakenly thought he would be a good catch" Similar eligible man/womanprospectmarriage prospectmatchsuitable husband/wife/spouse
- 2. a game in which a ball is thrown back and forth between two or more players.
- 3. a device for securing something such as a door, window, or box: "the window catch was rusty" Similar latchlockfastenerfasteningclasphasphookbarclipboltsnecksnib
- 4. a hidden problem or disadvantage in an apparently ideal situation: "there's a catch in it somewhere" Similar snagdisadvantagedrawbackstumbling blockhitchfly in the ointmentjoker in the packpitfallcomplicationproblemhiccuphindrancedifficultysetbackhurdledownsideminustraptricksnarewiledodgedisbenefitinformal:ploycon
- 5. an unevenness in a person's voice caused by emotion: "there was a catch in Anne's voice" Similar tremorunevennessshakeshakinessquiverquiveringwobble
- 6. a round, typically one with words arranged to produce a humorous effect.
Word Origin Middle English (also in the sense ‘chase’): from Anglo-Norman French and Old Northern French cachier, variant of Old French chacier, based on Latin captare ‘try to catch’, from capere ‘take’.
Derivatives
- 1. catchable adjective
Scrabble Points: 12
C
3A
1T
1C
3H
4
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