Word.ws English Dictionary

catches step

catches step is the third-person singular simple present indicative of catch step.

Meaning of catch step

Verb

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

  1. To match the pace (of another person or a beat).
    • They always start wrong, somehow, when they go out together, and then, while he tries to catch step with her, she endeavors to get in with him. After both have been shuffling about over the pavement for several minutes in a perfectly absurd manner, they go ahead out of step just as before.1882, Charles Heber Clark, Out of the Hurly-burly, Or Life in an Odd Corner, page 109
  2. (figuratively) To change so as to function harmoniously with; fit in.
    • And so the pageant moves on and you and I now catch step and for a short time will play our part in making the pattern of the Federation of this day.1935, Indiana Federation of Clubs, Year Book, page 2
  3. (figuratively) To adjust to advances in circumstances or criteria; catch up.
    • The quickest way to get acquainted with these new conditions is to have them slap us in the face. Wait till we all catch step again, and then watch this country.1921, Michigan Manufacturer & Financial Record - Volume 28, page 5

See all 5 meanings of catch step

Questions about catches step

What is catches step the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Catches step is the third-person singular simple present indicative of catch step.

Words near catches step in the dictionary

  1. catches someone with a hand in the cookie jar
  2. catches someone with their pants down
  3. catches someone's drift
  4. catches someone's eye
  5. catches someone's fancy
  6. catches step
  7. catches strays
  8. catches the bus
  9. catches the eye
  10. catches the light
  11. catches the sun

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: catches step (page history and authors); catch step (page history and authors). 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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Cite this entry: “catches step.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/catches_step. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.