catch (kăch, kĕch)

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[Middle English cacchen, from Old North French cachier, to chase, from Latin captāre frequentative of capere, to seize.]

verb: caught (kôt), catch·ing, catch·es. 

transitive verb 

1. To capture or seize, especially after a chase.
2. To take by or as if by trapping or snaring.
3. 1. To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally: He was caught in the act of stealing.
   2. To become cognizant or aware of suddenly: caught her gazing out the window.
4. 1. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp: caught me by the arm; caught the reins.
   2. To grab so as to stop the motion of: catch a ball.
5. 1. To overtake: The green car caught me on the straightaway.
   2. To reach just in time; take: caught the bus to town; catch a wave.
6. 1. To hold, as by snagging or entangling.
   2. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair.
   3. 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. 1. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival.
    2. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late.
11. 1. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
    2. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
12. 1. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
    2. 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. 1. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
    2. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.

intransitive verb 

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. 1. Something caught: The mistake you found was a good catch.
   2. Informal One that is worth having, especially an attractive or admirable marital partner.
4. Sports
   1. The grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground.
   2. 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.

To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.

idioms

catch fire

To ignite. To become very enthusiastic. To become the subject of great interest and widespread enthusiasm: an idea that caught fire all over the country.

catch it

To receive a punishment or scolding.

catch (one's) breath

To rest so as to be able to continue an activity.

catch up with

To find or arrest after a period of pursuit: The police finally caught up with him in Omaha. To have unpleasant consequences for, especially after a period of quiesence: mistakes that caught up with him when he ran for President.

catch you later

Informal Used to express good-bye.

derivatives

catch́a·ble

adjective

synonyms:

catch, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, snare¹tangle¹trap¹ These verbs mean to take in and hold as if by using bait or a lure: caught in a web of lies; enmeshed in the neighbors' dispute; ensnared an unsuspecting customer; became entangled in her own contradictions; entrapped by a convincing undercover agent; snared by false hopes; tangled by his own duplicity; trapped into incriminating himself.