catch

noun

(countable) The act of seizing or capturing.

(countable) The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.

(countable) The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.

(uncountable) The game of catching a ball.

(countable) Something which is captured or caught.

(countable, colloquial, by extension) A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.

(countable) A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.

(countable) A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.

(countable, sometimes noun adjunct) A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.

(countable) A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.

(countable) A fragment of music or poetry.

(countable, agriculture) A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.

(countable, music) A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.

(countable, music) The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse.

(countable, cricket, baseball) The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out.

(countable, cricket) A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well.

(countable, rowing) The first contact of an oar with the water.

(countable, phonetics) A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough.

Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

A slight remembrance; a trace.

(obsolete) A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush.

(obsolete) A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch.

verb

(heading) To capture, overtake.

(transitive) To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape).

(transitive) To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive.

(transitive) To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc.

(transitive) To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for.

(transitive) To unpleasantly discover unexpectedly; to unpleasantly surprise (someone doing something).

(transitive) To travel by means of.

(heading) To seize hold of.

(transitive) To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep.

(transitive) To grip or entangle.

(intransitive) To be held back or impeded.

(intransitive) To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process.

(transitive) To have something be held back or impeded.

(intransitive) To make a grasping or snatching motion (at).

(transitive, of fire) To spread or be conveyed to.

(transitive, rowing) To grip (the water) with one's oars at the beginning of the stroke.

(intransitive, agriculture) To germinate and set down roots.

(transitive, surfing) To contact a wave in such a way that one can ride it back to shore.

(transitive, computing) To handle an exception.

(heading) To intercept.

(transitive) To seize or intercept an object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium).

(transitive, cricket) To end a player's innings by catching a hit ball before the first bounce.

(transitive, intransitive, baseball) To play (a specific period of time) as the catcher.

(heading) To receive (by being in the way).

(transitive) To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.).

(transitive) To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure.

(transitive) To become infected by (an illness).

(intransitive) To spread by infection or similar means.

(transitive, intransitive) To receive or be affected by (wind, water, fire etc.).

(transitive) To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or influence.

(transitive) To be hit by something.

(intransitive) To serve well or poorly for catching, especially for catching fish.

(intransitive) To get pregnant.

(heading) To take in with one's senses or intellect.

(transitive) To grasp mentally: perceive and understand.

(transitive, informal) To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment).

(transitive) To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully.

(heading) To seize attention, interest.

(transitive) To charm or entrance.

(transitive) To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense).

To notice.

(transitive, figuratively, dated) To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.

(transitive, dated) To grab, seize, take hold of.

(transitive, rare) To become pregnant. (Only in past tense or as participle.)

(transitive, now rare) To seize (an opportunity) when it occurs.

Roots

captocatch- · Latin · seize, seek

Synonyms for catch

grabv capturev snatchv getv overtakev nabv arrestn hauln snagn seev graspv overhearv captivatev apprehendv seizev stopv ensnarev hookn hitchn entrapv

Words related to catch

caughtv uncaught becharmv insnare snatchyadj snapv snaredv hentadj snaringv trapan batfowlv prehensibleadj watchv glomv trotlinen eludesv snaggyadj ensnarerv ensnarementn whiffingn

Synonyms & related words for catch

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of catch — including grab, capture, snatch, get, overtake, nab. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to catch

Explore words related to catch — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include caught, uncaught, becharm, insnare, snatchy, snap, snared, hent. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for catch

Common synonyms for catch include grab, capture, snatch, get, overtake, nab, arrest, haul — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does catch come from?

The word catch breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root catch-, from Latin capto (“seize, seek”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.