catch

(kăch, kĕch)

verb caught caught (kôt), catch·ing, catch·es 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. a. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    b. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
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. To deceive: failed to be caught by their fraudulent schemes.
16. 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 that is worth having, especially an attractive or admirable marital partner.
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. 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 canonic, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Phrasal Verbs: catch on To understand; perceive. To become popular: Skateboarding caught on quickly. catch out To detect (another) in wrongdoing or error. catch up To move fast enough to attain the same progress as another; draw even: caught up to the leader on the last lap of the race. To become equal or on a par with another: finally caught up with his brother in height. To bring an activity to completion or to a state of currentness: catch up on correspondence. To bring (another) up to date; brief: Let me catch you up on all the gossip. To seize or lift suddenly: The wind caught up the umbrella and carried it off.

Related Forms:

• catchˈa·ble adjective