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say it: kach
catch is a verb and noun meaning "discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state". It carries 39 recorded senses.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
“She caught her son eating candy”
“She was caught shoplifting”
get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly
“Catch some sleep”
“catch one's breath”
catch up with and possibly overtake
“The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp”
check oneself during an action
“She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind”
cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled
“I caught the hem of my dress in the brambles”
grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of
“did you catch that allusion?”
“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”
delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned
“I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting”
anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching)
“he shared his catch with the others”
a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion)
a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window
a cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth
“he played catch with his son in the backyard”
the act of catching an object with the hands
“Mays made the catch with his back to the plate”
“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”
the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal)
“the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar”
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for catch come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.