n.
Pronunciation: ' kach, ' kech
Function: verb
Inflected Form: caught \ ' ko ̇ t also ' kät \ ; catch · ing
Etymology: Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-French cacher, chacher, chacer to hunt, from Vulgar Latin *captiare, alteration of Latin captare to chase, frequentative of capere to take ― more at HEAVE
Date: 13th century
transitive verb
1 a : to capture or seize especially after pursuit < catch a thief> b : to take or entangle in or as if in a snare < catch fish in a net> c : DECEIVE d : to discover unexpectedly : FIND < caught in the act> e : to check (oneself) suddenly or momentarily f : to become suddenly aware of < caught me looking at him>
2 a : to take hold of : SEIZE b : to affect suddenly c : to grasp and hold on to (something in motion) < catch a fly ball> d : to avail oneself of : TAKE < caught the first opportunity to leave> e : to obtain through effort : GET < catch a ride> f : to overtake unexpectedly ― usually used in the passive <was caught in a storm> g : to get entangled < catch a sleeve on a nail>
3 : to become affected by: as a : CONTRACT < catch a cold> b : to respond sympathetically to the point of being imbued with < catch the spirit of an occasion> c : to be struck by <he caught a bullet in the leg> d : to be subjected to : RECEIVE < catch hell>
4 a : to take in and retain <a barrel to catch rainwater> b : FASTEN
5 : to take or get usually momentarily or quickly < catch a glimpse of a friend> < catch a nap>
6 a : OVERTAKE < catch the leader in a race> b : to get aboard in time < catch the bus>
7 : to attract and hold : ARREST , ENGAGE < caught my attention> < caught her eye>
8 : to make contact with : STRIKE <the pitch caught him in the back>
9 a : to grasp by the senses or the mind <you catch what I mean?> <didn't catch the name> b : to apprehend and fix by artistic means < catch a person's likeness>
10 a : SEE , WATCH < catch a game on TV> b : to listen to
11 : to serve as a catcher for in baseball
12 : to meet with < catch you later>
intransitive verb
1 : to grasp hastily or try to grasp
2 : to become caught
3 : to catch fire
4 : to play the position of catcher on a baseball team
5 : KICK OVER <the engine caught >
– catch · able \ ' ka-ch ə -b ə l, ' ke- \ adjective
– catch a crab : to fail to raise an oar clear of the water on recovery of a stroke
– catch dead : to find or see at any time ― used in strongly negative constructions <wouldn't be caught dead in that shirt>
– catch fire
1 : to become ignited
2 : to become fired with enthusiasm
3 : to increase greatly in scope, popularity, interest, or effectiveness <this stock has not caught fire yet ― Forbes >
– catch it : to incur blame, reprimand, or punishment <he'll really catch it from the boss if he's late again>
– catch one's breath : to rest long enough to restore normal breathing broadly : to rest after a period of intense activity
synonyms CATCH , CAPTURE , TRAP , SNARE , ENTRAP , ENSNARE , BAG mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing. CATCH implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding < caught the dog as it ran by>. CAPTURE suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty < capture an enemy stronghold>. TRAP , SNARE , ENTRAP , ENSNARE imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor. TRAP and SNARE apply more commonly to physical seizing < trap animals> < snared butterflies with a net>. ENTRAP and ENSNARE more often are figurative < entrapped the witness with a trick question> <a sting operation that ensnared burglars>. BAG implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey < bagged a brace of pheasants>.