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Catch   /kætʃ/   Listen
Catch

verb
(past & past part. caught; pres. part. catching; catched is rarely used)
1.
Discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state.  "She was caught shoplifting"
2.
Perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily.  Synonym: pick up.  "He caught the allusion in her glance" , "Ears open to catch every sound" , "The dog picked up the scent" , "Catch a glimpse"
3.
Reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot.  Synonym: get.  "The blow got him in the back" , "The punch caught him in the stomach"
4.
Take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of.  Synonyms: grab, take hold of.  "Grab the elevator door!"
5.
Succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase.  Synonyms: capture, get.  "Did you catch the thief?"
6.
To hook or entangle.  Synonym: hitch.
7.
Attract and fix.  Synonyms: arrest, get.  "She caught his eye" , "Catch the attention of the waiter"
8.
Capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping.  Synonym: capture.
9.
Reach in time.
10.
Get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly.  "Catch one's breath"
11.
Catch up with and possibly overtake.  Synonyms: catch up with, overtake.
12.
Be struck or affected by.  "Catch the mood"
13.
Check oneself during an action.
14.
Hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers.  Synonyms: overhear, take in.
15.
See or watch.  Synonyms: see, take in, view, watch.  "This program will be seen all over the world" , "View an exhibition" , "Catch a show on Broadway" , "See a movie"
16.
Cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled.
17.
Detect a blunder or misstep.  Synonym: trip up.
18.
Grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of.  Synonym: get.  "We caught something of his theory in the lecture" , "Don't catch your meaning" , "Did you get it?" , "She didn't get the joke" , "I just don't get him"
19.
Contract.
20.
Start burning.
21.
Perceive by hearing.  Synonym: get.  "She didn't get his name when they met the first time"
22.
Suffer from the receipt of.  Synonym: get.
23.
Attract; cause to be enamored.  Synonyms: becharm, beguile, bewitch, captivate, capture, charm, enamor, enamour, enchant, entrance, fascinate, trance.
24.
Apprehend and reproduce accurately.  Synonym: get.  "She got the mood just right in her photographs"
25.
Take in and retain.
26.
Spread or be communicated.
27.
Be the catcher.
28.
Become aware of.
29.
Delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned.
noun
1.
A drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident.  Synonym: gimmick.
2.
The quantity that was caught.  Synonym: haul.
3.
A person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect.  Synonym: match.
4.
Anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching).
5.
A break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion).
6.
A restraint that checks the motion of something.  Synonym: stop.
7.
A fastener that fastens or locks a door or window.
8.
A cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth.
9.
The act of catching an object with the hands.  Synonyms: grab, snap, snatch.  "He made a grab for the ball before it landed" , "Martin's snatch at the bridle failed and the horse raced away" , "The infielder's snap and throw was a single motion"
10.
The act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal).  Synonyms: apprehension, arrest, collar, pinch, taking into custody.



Related searches:
catch a glimpse
catch a wink
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catch fire
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catch sight
catch some Z's
catch up
catch up with
by-catch
catcher
catchment
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fair catch
glottal catch
safety catch
shoestring catch


WordNet 3.0 © 2010 Princeton University


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"Catch" Quotes from Famous Books



... ill," said Malcolm to himself. He was just near enough, on the pawing and foaming Kelpie, to catch what was passing.— "The fallow 'll du. He's worth a score o' ...
— The Marquis of Lossie • George MacDonald
... with one hand easily. The hedge being low he could see it coming; but guns are sometimes heaved in this way over hedges that have not been cropped for years. Then the gun suddenly appears in the air, perhaps fifteen feet high, while the catch depends not only upon the dexterity of the hand but the ear—to judge correctly where the person who throws it is standing, as he ...
— The Amateur Poacher • Richard Jefferies
... is called to-day, for you know not how much you may be hindered to-morrow. 'One to-day is worth two to-morrows,' as Poor Richard says; and farther, 'Never leave that till to-morrow which you can do to-day.' If you were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good master should catch you idle? Are you then your own master? Be ashamed to catch yourself idle, when there is so much to be done for yourself, your family, your country, and your king. Handle your tools without mittens; remember, that 'the cat in gloves catches no mice,' as Poor Richard says. It is true ...
— Brave Men and Women - Their Struggles, Failures, And Triumphs • O.E. Fuller
... him, do you hear? He may wish I had; by the time I get through with him—I'll beat the living hell out of him; I'll cram my fists down his throat. But I'll settle it with him like an Earthman. I won't kill him. Hear me, Juli? Because that's the worst thing I could do to him—catch him and let ...
— The Door Through Space • Marion Zimmer Bradley
... foreshortened it, and gave to its low arc the emphasis of a curve, the vivacity of a dimple (Anne's under lip was straight as the tense string of a bow). When she spoke or smiled Anne's mole seemed literally to catch up her lip against its will, on purpose to show the small white teeth below. Majendie loved Anne's mole. It was that one charming and emphatic fault in her face, he said, that made it human. But Anne was ...
— The Helpmate • May Sinclair


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