Word.ws English Dictionary

catch

UK/kæt͡ʃ/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/kæt͡ʃ/

catch noun: the act of seizing or capturing.

Noun

catch (countable and uncountable, plural catches)

  1. (countable) The act of seizing or capturing.
    • The catch of the perpetrator was the product of a year of police work.
  2. (countable) The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.
    • The player made an impressive catch.
    • Nice catch!
  3. (countable) The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.
    • Good catch. I never would have remembered that.
    • "In that case," said Jeff, "I just thought of something else we need." He walked over to one of the stations that was selling household goods and bought a can opener.
      "Nice catch," said Lucy.2008, John I. Carney, Soapstone, page 74
    Synonyms:
    observation
  4. (uncountable) The game of catching a ball.
    • The kids love to play catch.
  5. (countable) Something which is captured or caught.
    • The fishermen took pictures of their catch.
    • The catch amounted to five tons of swordfish.
    Synonyms:
    haul, take
  6. (broadly, colloquial, countable) A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.
    • Did you see his latest catch?
    • He's a good catch.
    Synonyms:
    prize, find, conquest, beau
  7. (countable) A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.
    • She installed a sturdy catch to keep her cabinets closed tight.
    Synonyms:
    stop, chock, clasp, hasp, latch
  8. (countable) A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.
    • There was a catch in his voice when he spoke his father's name.
  9. (countable, sometimes noun adjunct) A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.
    • It sounds like a great idea, but what's the catch?
    • Be careful, that's a catch question.
  10. (countable) A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.
    • I bent over to see under the table and got a catch in my side.
  11. (countable) A fragment of music or poetry.
    • In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page 266
    • "'Fair Enslaver!'" cried Mr. Enderby. "You must know 'Fair Enslaver:' there is not a sweeter catch than that. Come, Miss Ibbotson, begin; your sister will follow, and I—"
      But it so happened that Miss Ibbotson had never heard 'Fair Enslaver.'1872, Harriet Martineau, Deerbrook, page 90
    Synonyms:
    snatch, fragment, snippet, bit
  12. (obsolete) A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush.
    • You lie at the catch again: this is not for edification.1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress, Part I Section 3
    • The common and the canon law […] lie at catch, and wait advantages one against another.1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI)
Show 10 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (countable) A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.
    • There was a good catch of rye and a good fall growth.1905, Eighth Biennial Report of the Board of Horticulture of the State of Oregon, page 204
  2. (obsolete) A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch.
    • Fourteene miles Northward from the river Powhatan, is the river Pamaunke, which is navigable 60 or 70 myles, but with Catches and small Barkes 30 or 40 myles farther.1612, John Smith, Map of Virginia, Kupperman, published 1988, page 158
  3. (countable) A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.
    • Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch / You taught me but while-ere?1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
    • One night, I remember, we sang a catch, written (words and music) by Orlo Williams, for three voices.1966, Allen Tate, T. S. Eliot: The Man and His Work, page 76
  4. (countable) The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse.
    • The phrase repeated itself like the catch of a song.2003, Robert Hugh Benson, Come Rack! Come Rope!, page 268
    Synonyms:
    chorus, refrain, burden
  5. (countable) The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out.
    • It was he who removed Peter Bowler with the help of a good catch at third slip.1997 May 10, Henry Blofeld, “Cricket: Rose and Burns revive Somerset”, in The Independent
  6. (countable) A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well.
    • […] in the field he is all activity, covers an immense amount of ground, and is a sure catch.1894 September 16, “To Meet Lord Hawke's Team”, in The New York Times, page 21
  7. (countable) The first contact of an oar with the water.
    • They are sitting up straighter, breaking their arms at the catch and getting on a terrific amount of power at the catch with each stroke.1935 June 7, Robert F. Kelley, “California Crews Impress at Debut”, in The New York Times, page 29
  8. (countable) A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough.
    • When a Scot pronounces water, better, or bottle—wa’er, be’er, or bo’le—the sound is precisely that of the catch; […].1891 February–December, Robert Louis Stevenson, In the South Seas […], New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1896, →OCLC
    • The glottal stop or glottal catch is the sound used in English in the informal words uh-huh 'yes' and uh-uh 'no'.2006, Mitsugu Sakihara et al., Okinawan-English Wordbook, →ISBN
  9. Passing opportunities seized; snatches.
    • the way it has been writ in, by catches, and many long intervals of interruption1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Introduction”, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC
  10. A slight remembrance; a trace.
    • We retain a catch of those pretty stories.1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica: Or, Confest Ignorance, the Way to Science; […], London: […] E. C[otes] for Henry Eversden […], →OCLC

Verb

catch (third-person singular simple present catches, present participle catching, simple past and past participle caught)

  1. (transitive) To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape).
    • I hope I catch a fish.
    • He ran but we caught him at the exit.
  2. (transitive) To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive.
    • And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Mark 12:13
  3. (dated, figuratively, transitive) To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.
    • The public[…]said that Miss Bogardus was a suffragist because she had never caught a man; that she wanted something, but it wasn't the vote.1933, Sinclair Lewis, Ann Vickers, page 108
    • "She caught this blanquito guy from El Condado," and you immediately know "My god, all that money."1990 February 4, Vanessa Nemeth, Stephanie Poggi, “Bumps And All”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 29, page 12
  4. (transitive) To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc.
    • If he catches you on the chin, you'll be on the mat.
    • The visitors started brightly and had an early chance when Valencia's experienced captain David Albeda gifted the ball to Fernando Torres, but the striker was caught by defender Adil Rami as he threatened to shoot.2011 September 28, Jon Smith, “Valencia 1-1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport
  5. (transitive) To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for.
    • If you leave now you might catch him.
    • I would love to have dinner but I have to catch a plane.
  6. (transitive) To discover and observe (someone or something while it takes some action or exists) (sometimes, but not always, with implications of 'unpleasantly' or 'unexpectedly').
    • He was caught in the act of stealing a biscuit.
    • Once he caught me gazing lingeringly and eagerly at him. He turned round with that mocking air he assumed when he wanted to hide his feelings.1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, chapter 1, in Carl Wildman, transl., Zorba the Greek, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, translation of Βίος και πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά [Víos kai politeía tou Aléxi...
  7. (transitive) To record, for example on film or tape.
    • It's the very first time such an elusive bird has been caught on film.
    • He was caught on video robbing the bank.
  8. (transitive) To travel by means of.
    • catch the bus
    • The glare, the flies, while they waited, and he and the stationmaster put their heads together over the time-table, trying to find this other train, which, of course, they wouldn't catch.1920, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “The Escape”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 273
  9. (rare, transitive) To become pregnant. (Only in past tense or as participle.)
    • Had Nancy got caught with a child? If so she would destroy her parent's dreams for her.2002, Orpha Caton, Shadow on the Creek, pages 102–103
  10. (dated, transitive) To grab, seize, take hold of.
    • I caught her by the arm and turned her to face me.
    • Her aged Nourse, whose name was Glaucè hight, / Feeling her leape out of her loathed nest, / Betwixt her feeble armes her quickly keight […]1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
  11. (transitive) To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep.
    • I have to stop for a moment and catch my breath
    • I caught some Z's on the train.
  12. (transitive) To grip or entangle.
    • My leg was caught in a tree-root.
    • So Abſalom took a Pride in his Beauty, and particularly in his long Hair. And Providence ſo orders it, that in his Rebellion againſt his Father [David], vvhen he had loſt the Day, this Hair in his Flight catches on the Bough of a Tree, vvhere Joab found and ſlevv him.1708, J[oseph] B[oyse], “Sin the Instrument of the Sinners Punishment. From II. Jerem[iah] 19.”, in Sermons Preach’d on Various Subjects […], Dublin: […] S. Powell, for the use of the author, →OCLC...
Show 28 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (intransitive) To be held back or impeded.
    • Be careful your dress doesn't catch on that knob.
    • His voice caught when he came to his father's name.
  2. (intransitive) To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process.
    • Push it in until it catches.
    • The engine finally caught and roared to life.
  3. (transitive) To have something be held back or impeded.
    • I caught my heel on the threshold.
  4. (intransitive) To make a grasping or snatching motion (at).
    • He caught at the railing as he fell.
  5. (transitive) To spread or be conveyed to.
    • The Palace of Deiphobus aſcends / In ſmoaky Flames, and catches on his Friends. / Ucalegon burns next; the Seas are bright / VVith ſplendor, not their ovvn; and ſhine vvith Trojan light.1697, Virgil, “The Second Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 247, lines...
    • The fire spread slowly until it caught the eaves of the barn.
  6. (transitive) To grip (the water) with one's oars at the beginning of the stroke.
    • Stop gathering, in that gradual fashion, and catch the water sharply and decisively.1906, Arthur W. Stevens, Practical Rowing with Scull and Sweep, page 63
  7. (intransitive) To germinate and set down roots.
    • The seeds caught and grew.
  8. (transitive) To contact a wave in such a way that one can ride it back to shore.
    • If you are surfing a wave through the rocks, make sure you have a clear route before catching the wave.2001, John Lull, Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue, page 203
  9. (transitive) To handle an exception.
    • When the program catches an exception, this is recorded in the log file.
  10. (transitive) To seize or intercept an object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium).
    • I will throw you the ball, and you catch it.
    • Watch me catch this raisin in my mouth.
  11. (archaic, transitive) To seize (an opportunity) when it occurs.
    • she internally resolved henceforward to catch every opportunity of eyeing the hair and of satisfying herself,[…].1811, [Jane Austen], “18”, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC
  12. (transitive) To end a player's innings by catching a hit ball before the first bounce.
    • Townsend hit 29 before he was caught by Wilson.
  13. (intransitive, transitive) To play (a specific period of time) as the catcher.
    • He caught the last three innings.
  14. (transitive) To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.).
    • You're going to catch a beating if they find out.
  15. (transitive) To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure.
    • The sunlight caught the leaves and the trees turned to gold.
    • Her hair was caught by the light breeze.
  16. (informal, transitive) To become infected by (an illness).
    • Near-synonym: come down with
    • Everyone seems to be catching the flu this week.
  17. (intransitive) To spread by infection or similar means.
    • Does the sedition catch from man to man?1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act II, scene i, page 31
    • He accosted Mrs. Browne very civilly, told her his wife was very ill, and said he was sadly troubled to get a white woman to nurse her: "For," said he, "Mrs. Simpson has set it abroad that her fever is catching."1817, Mary Martha Sherwood, Stories Explanatory of the Church Catechism
  18. (intransitive, transitive) To receive or be affected by (wind, water, fire etc.).
    • The bucket catches water from the downspout.
    • The trees caught quickly in the dry wind.
  19. (transitive) To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or influence.
    • She finally caught the mood of the occasion.
    • And the next thing I knew, I had caught feelings for her.
  20. (transitive) To be hit by something.
    • He caught a bullet in the back of the head last year.
    Synonyms:
    take, get
  21. (intransitive) To serve well or poorly for catching, especially for catching fish.
    • The nets caught well, and Mr. Deeley reported it the best fishing ground he ever tried.1877, Annual Report of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, page 135
  22. (intransitive) To get pregnant.
    • Well, if you didn't catch this time, we'll have more fun trying again until you do.
  23. (transitive) To grasp mentally: perceive and understand.
    • Did you catch his name?
    • Did you catch the way she looked at him?
    Synonyms:
    grasp, get
  24. (transitive) To notice, to detect.
    • -You made a typo. -Ah, thanks for catching that.
    • The B.C. Lottery Corporation commissioned two independent studies that found its voluntary self-exclusion program isn't always catching gamblers who've requested help in staying away.2011 August 18, “Problem gambler crackdown coming to B.C. casinos”, in CBC News
  25. (informal, transitive) To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment).
    • I have some free time tonight so I think I'll catch a movie.
    • Tom Holland: Gong Xi Fa Cai! It's Tom Holland here. // Mark Wahlberg: And I'm Mark Wahlberg. Catch us in Uncharted this Chinese New Year at GSC. // Tom Holland: Gong Xi Fa Cai!2022 January 31, 0:00 from the start, in Tom Holland & Mark Wahlberg Wishes Gong Xi Fa Cai!, GSCinemas, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2022
  26. (transitive) To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully.
    • You've really caught his determination in this sketch.
  27. (transitive) To charm or entrance.
    • No, a far more natural beauty caught him.2004, Catherine Asaro, The Moon's Shadow, page 40
  28. (transitive) To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense).
    • He managed to catch her attention.
    • The enormous scarf did catch my eye.

catch meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

catch in Hindi

to intercept an object in the air etc.
पकड़ना pakaṛnā

catch in Tamil

to capture or snare
பிடி piṭi

catch in Marathi

the act of catching a ball
कॅच kĕc
to intercept an object in the air etc.
पकडणे pakaḍṇe
to capture or snare
पकडणे pakaḍṇe
to perceive and understand
समझणे samajhṇe

catch in Urdu

to intercept an object in the air etc.
پکڑنا pakaṛnā
More languagesFewer languages
catch in Bengali
ধরা dhora
catch in Telugu
చేతికివచ్చు cētikivaccu, పట్టుకొను paṭṭukonu
catch in Malayalam
പിടിക്കുക piṭikkuka
catch in Kannada
ಹಿಡಿತ, ಗ್ರಹಣ, ಕೊಂಡಿ, ಕೊಕ್ಕೆ
catch in Punjabi
پھڑنا phaṛnā, ਫੜਨਾ phaṛnā
catch in Gujarati
પકડી લેવું pakḍī levũ, ઝીલવું jhīlvũ, ઝાલવું jhālvũ, પકડવું pakaṛvũ
catch in Odia
ଧରିବା, ଧରିନେବା
catch in Assamese
ধৰা dhora, ধৰ dhor, আয়ত্ত কৰা ayotto kora
catch in Arabic
لُقْطَة luqṭa, أَمْسَكَ ʔamsaka, مَسَكَ masaka
catch in Malay
tangkap
catch in Indonesian
tangkap, sambut
catch in Persian
گرفتن gereftan
catch in Vietnamese
chụp, chộp, bắt, mắc
catch in Myanmar
ဖမ်း hpam:, စီး ci:

Examples of catch in a sentence

  • Lying in wait, camera at the ready, I managed to catch a hummingbird on video today, after being too slow getting my camera out yesterday.
  • He mused on memorable catches: dolphin fish, marlin—the last weighing more than 500 pounds.1987 October, Charles E. Cobb, Jr., “North Carolina's Outer Banks”, in National Geographic, volume 172, number 4, page 498:
  • Alfred O'Shea, a tenorizing youth from Australia, sang several times at Queen's Hall, and may congratulate himself on being one of the ‘catches’ of the season.1922 August 1, “London Concerts”, in The Musical Times:
  • Just once, I wish I could be considered a catch by men younger than fifty..."2014 July 10, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain (webcomic), Comic 561 - A Catch:
  • Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Did anyone catch the Charlie Rose the evening before last.2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1)

All 40 example sentences with catch

Synonyms of catch

26 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of catch

Forms of catch

Noun
pluralcatches
Verb
third-person singular presentcatches
present participlecatching
past participlecaught
pastcaught
first-person singular past (nonstandard)catched
second-person singular present (archaic)catchest
second-person singular past (nonstandard)catched
second-person singular past (archaic)caughtest
second-person singular past (archaic)catchedst
third-person singular present (archaic)catcheth
third-person singular past (nonstandard)catched
plural past (nonstandard)catched
past subjunctive (nonstandard)catched
past participle (nonstandard)catched

Past tense of catch: caught

Plural of catch: catches

Origin of catch

From Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-Norman cachier, variant of Old French chacier, from Late Latin captiāre, from Latin captāre, frequentative of capere. Akin to Modern French chasser (from Old French chacier) and Spanish cazar, and thus a doublet of chase. Compare ketch. Via PIE cognate with have. Displaced Middle English fangen ("to catch"; > Modern English fang (verb)), from Old English fōn (“to seize, take”); Middle English lacchen ("to catch" and heavily displaced Modern English latch), from Old English læċċan. The verb became irregular, possibly under the influence of the semantically similar latch (from Old English læċċan), whose past tense was lahte, lauhte, laught (Old English læhte), until becoming regularised in Modern English.

Words formed from catch

Phrases with catch

85 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with catch

16 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about catch

What does catch mean?
Catch means the act of seizing or capturing.
What is catch in Hindi?
Catch in Hindi is पकड़ना (pakaṛnā). See Catch meaning in Hindi.
How do you use catch in a sentence?
Lying in wait, camera at the ready, I managed to catch a hummingbird on video today, after being too slow getting my camera out yesterday.
What part of speech is catch?
Catch can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce catch?
Catch is pronounced /kæt͡ʃ/ (UK).
What is the plural of catch?
The plural of catch is catches.

Words near catch in the dictionary

  1. catcalls
  2. catcatcher
  3. catcatchers
  4. catcentric
  5. CATCF
  6. catch
  7. CATCH 22 syndrome
  8. CATCH 22 syndromes
  9. catch a body
  10. catch a break
  11. catch a buzz

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: catch (page history and authors); చేతికివచ్చు (Telugu) (page history and authors); പിടിക്കുക (Malayalam) (page history and authors); catch (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); پھڑنا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); આવવું (Gujarati) (page history and authors); catch (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-catch.ogg, en-us-catch.ogg.

Cite this entry: “catch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/catch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.