INDEX:
1. to catch a ball or other moving object
2. when the police catch a criminal
3. to catch someone doing something wrong
4. to catch someone and make them a prisoner
5. to catch someone after chasing them
RELATED WORDS
catch a bus, train etc : ↑ GET ON OR OFF A BUS, PLANE ETC
catch an illness : ↑ ILLNESS/DISEASE (3)
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1. to catch a ball or other moving object
▷ catch /kætʃ/ [transitive verb]
to get hold of a ball or other object that is moving through the air :
▪ Ted caught the ball and threw it back to his brother.
▪ Jenny tried to catch the frisbee with her left hand but dropped it.
catch [countable noun]
when you get hold of a ball or other object that is moving through the air :
▪ That was a great catch!
2. when the police catch a criminal
▷ catch /kætʃ/ [transitive verb]
▪ Police say they are determined to catch the killer.
▪ A lot of thieves never get caught.
▷ arrest /əˈrest/ [transitive verb]
if a police officer arrests someone they catch them, tell them officially that they have done something illegal, and take them away :
▪ Police arrested twenty-six demonstrators.
▪ Nine men were arrested in drug raids, Saturday.
arrest somebody for something
▪ Wallace was arrested for assault.
▪ Dwayne has been arrested for drunk driving again.
arrest [uncountable noun]
▪ Kramer’s confession led to the arrests of six others.
under arrest
arrested
▪ Guzman, twenty-five, was placed under arrest at his parents’ home, Friday.
make an arrest
arrest someone
▪ Police made several arrests over the weekend in connection with last year’s courthouse bombing.
▷ get /get/ [transitive verb] especially British
to catch and punish someone for something illegal they have done :
▪ They still haven’t got the man who did it.
▷ nail /neɪl/ [transitive verb] informal
to catch someone and prove that they are guilty of a crime :
▪ Police use radar to nail speeding drivers.
nail somebody for something
▪ Myers was nailed for selling marijuana.
▷ take somebody into custody /ˌteɪk somebody ɪntə ˈkʌstədi/ [verb phrase usually in passive]
if the police take someone into custody, they take that person and put them in prison until they appear in court, because they think the person is guilty of a crime :
▪ Officers took three suspects into custody Friday morning.
▪ As soon as the plane landed, the men were taken into custody by waiting FBI agents.
3. to catch someone doing something wrong
▷ catch /kætʃ/ [transitive verb]
to find or see someone while they are actually doing something wrong :
catch somebody doing something
▪ Pat caught her daughter stealing money from her purse.
▪ Brooks was caught smoking in an airplane lavatory and fined $750 dollars.
▷ catch somebody red-handed/catch somebody in the act /ˌkætʃ somebody red ˈhændə̇d, ˌkætʃ somebody ɪn ði ˈækt/ [verb phrase usually in passive]
to catch someone who is in the middle of doing something bad or illegal, especially stealing, when they are not expecting it :
▪ Sperling was caught red-handed attempting to break into a house.
▪ Several graffiti artists were caught in the act on the Brown River bridge.
catch somebody in the act of doing something
▪ He caught Wendy in the act of looking through his personal papers.
▷ catch somebody with their fingers in the till /ˌkætʃ somebody wɪð ðeəʳ ˌfɪŋgəʳz ɪn ðə ˈtɪl/ [verb phrase] British
to catch someone stealing money from the place where they work :
▪ The article says that at least five government officials have been caught with their fingers in the till.
4. to catch someone and make them a prisoner
▷ capture /ˈkæptʃəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to catch a person in order to make them a prisoner :
▪ They’ve captured twenty enemy soldiers.
▪ Cole was captured after his plane was shot down outside Hanoi.
capture [uncountable noun]
▪ They are offering a reward for information leading to his capture.
▷ round up /ˌraʊnd ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to catch several people by bringing them together from different places :
round up somebody
▪ Officers succeeded in rounding up most of the gang members.
round somebody up
▪ People are saying that the civil guard rounded several of the protestors up and shot them.
▷ take somebody prisoner /ˌteɪk somebody ˈprɪz ə nəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to catch someone, especially in a war, and keep them as a prisoner :
▪ Ellison was taken prisoner by the Germans during the retreat to Dunkirk.
▪ Military police took Kilby prisoner and locked him in a barn.
▪ 350 soldiers were killed and another 300 taken prisoner.
▷ recapture /riːˈkæptʃəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to catch someone for a second time when they have escaped after being caught once :
▪ Viet Cong forces quickly recaptured the soldiers.
▪ The prisoners were recaptured a few hours after their escape.
5. to catch someone after chasing them
▷ catch /kætʃ/ [transitive verb]
to stop someone from escaping, especially by running after them and then catching them - used especially by children when playing games :
▪ ‘I bet you can’t catch me!’ yelled Katie, skipping away.
▪ You choose sides, and one team hides and the other team tries to catch them.
▷ corner /ˈkɔːʳnəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to catch someone by forcing them into a room or space etc that they cannot escape from :
▪ Douglas was cornered by the killers in the back bedroom of a seventh-floor apartment.
▪ The boys cornered him on a subway platform and began beating him.
▷ catch up with /ˌkætʃ ˈʌp wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to catch someone that you have been chasing or trying to catch for some time :
▪ Agents finally caught up with Danvers in Mexico City.
▷ hunt down /ˌhʌnt ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to catch someone in order to kill, hurt, or punish them, after chasing them or trying very hard to catch them :
hunt down somebody
▪ Army troops are hunting down the guerrillas.
hunt somebody down
▪ The agency was created to hunt down war criminals and bring them to justice.
▷ trap /træp/ [transitive verb]
to catch someone by using your skill and intelligence, or by forcing them into a place where they cannot escape :
▪ The men were trapped at a road block near the junction of I-95 and Route 128.
▪ Police have the man trapped inside a bar on the city’s southside.
trap [countable noun]
a plan that is intended to catch someone :
fall into someone’s trap
▪ If we’re lucky, the thief will fall right into our trap.