Definitions for: Catch


[n] the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal); "the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar"
[n] the act of catching an object with the hands; "Mays made the catch with his back to the plate"
[n] a cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth; "he played catch with his son in the backyard"
[n] a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window
[n] a restraint that checks the motion of something; "he used a book as a stop to hold the door open"
[n] a hidden drawback; "it sounds good but what's the catch?"
[n] a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion)
[n] anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching); "he shared his catch with the others"
[n] a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect
[n] the quantity that was caught; "the catch was only 10 fish"
[v] contract; "did you catch a cold?"
[v] delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned; "I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting"
[v] be struck or affected by; "catch fire"; "catch the mood"
[v] grasp with the mind; "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"
[v] detect a blunder or misstep; "The reporter tripped up the senator"
[v] 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"
[v] become aware of; "he caught her staring out the window"
[v] be the catcher, in baseball; "Who is catching?"
[v] catch up with and possibly overtake; "The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp"
[v] succeed in catching or seizing, , esp. after a chase; "We finally got the suspect"; "Did you catch the thief?"
[v] to hook or entangle; "One foot caught in the stirrup"
[v] cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled; "I caught the hem of my dress in the brambles"
[v] spread or be communicated; "The fashion did not catch"
[v] reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot; "the rock caught her in the back of the head"; "The blow got him in the back"; "The punch caught him in the stomach"
[v] take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of; "Catch the ball!"; "Grab the elevator door!"
[v] capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping; "I caught a rabbit in the trap toady"
[v] take in and retain; "We have a big barrel to catch the rainwater"
[v] attract and fix; "His look caught her"; "She caught his eye"; "Catch the attention of the waiter"
[v] apprehend and reproduce accurately; "She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings"; "She got the mood just right in her photographs"
[v] attract; cause to be enamored; "She captured all the men's hearts"
[v] reach in time; "I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock"
[v] suffer from the receipt of; "She will catch hell for this behavior!"
[v] perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily; "I caught the aroma of coffee"; "He caught the allusion in her glance"; "ears open to catch every sound"; "The dog picked up the scent"; "Catch a glimpse"
[v] see or watch; "view a show on television"; "This program will be seen all over the world"; "view an exhibition"; "Catch a show on Broadway"; "see a movie"
[v] hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers; "We overheard the conversation at the next table"
[v] perceive by hearing; "I didn't catch your name"; "She didn't get his name when they met the first time"
[v] get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly; "Catch some sleep"; "catch one's breath"
[v] check oneself during an action; "She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind"
[v] start burning; "The fire caught"



Webster (1913) Definition: Catch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Caughtor Catched; p. pr.
& vb. n. Catching. Catched is rarely used.] [OE. cacchen,
OF. cachier, dialectic form of chacier to hunt, F. chasser,
fr. (assumend) LL. captiare, for L. capture, V. intens. of
capere to take, catch. See Capacious, and cf. Chase,
Case a box.]
1. To lay hold on; to seize, especially with the hand; to
grasp (anything) in motion, with the effect of holding;
as, to catch a ball.

2. To seize after pursuing; to arrest; as, to catch a thief.
``They pursued . . . and caught him.'' --Judg. i. 6.

3. To take captive, as in a snare or net, or on a hook; as,
to catch a bird or fish.

4. Hence: To insnare; to entangle. ``To catch him in his
words''. --Mark xii. 13.

5. To seize with the senses or the mind; to apprehend; as, to
catch a melody. ``Fiery thoughts . . . whereof I catch the
issue.'' --Tennyson.

6. To communicate to; to fasten upon; as, the fire caught the
adjoining building.

7. To engage and attach; to please; to charm.

The soothing arts that catch the fair. --Dryden.

8. To get possession of; to attain.

Torment myself to catch the English throne. --Shak.

9. To take or receive; esp. to take by sympathy, contagion,
infection, or exposure; as, to catch the spirit of an
occasion; to catch the measles or smallpox; to catch cold;
the house caught fire.

10. To come upon unexpectedly or by surprise; to find; as, to
catch one in the act of stealing.

11. To reach in time; to come up with; as, to catch a train.

To catch fire, to become inflamed or ignited.

to catch it to get a scolding or beating; to suffer
punishment. [Colloq.]

To catch one's eye, to interrupt captiously while speaking.
[Colloq.] ``You catch me up so very short.'' --Dickens.

To catch up, to snatch; to take up suddenly.


Catch, v. i.
1. To attain possession. [Obs.]

Have is have, however men do catch. --Shak.

2. To be held or impeded by entanglement or a light
obstruction; as, a kite catches in a tree; a door catches
so as not to open.

3. To take hold; as, the bolt does not catch.

4. To spread by, or as by, infecting; to communicate.

Does the sedition catch from man to man? --Addison.

To catch at, to attempt to seize; to be eager to get or
use. ``[To] catch at all opportunities of subverting the
state.'' --Addison.

To catch up with, to come up with; to overtake.


Catch, n.
1. Act of seizing; a grasp. --Sir P. Sidney.

2. That by which anything is caught or temporarily fastened;
as, the catch of a gate.

3. The posture of seizing; a state of preparation to lay hold
of, or of watching he opportunity to seize; as, to lie on
the catch. [Archaic] --Addison.

The common and the canon law . . . lie at catch, and
wait advantages one againt another. --T. Fuller.

4. That which is caught or taken; profit; gain; especially,
the whole quantity caught or taken at one time; as, a good
catch of fish.

Hector shall have a great catch if he knock out
either of your brains. --Shak.

5. Something desirable to be caught, esp. a husband or wife
in matrimony. [Colloq.] --Marryat.

6. pl. Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

It has been writ by catches with many intervals.
--Locke.

7. A slight remembrance; a trace.

We retain a catch of those pretty stories.
--Glanvill.

8. (Mus.) A humorous canon or round, so contrived that the
singers catch up each other's words.

Synonyms: apprehension, arrest, arrest, becharm, beguile, bewitch, captivate, capture, capture, catch up with, charm, collar, enamor, enamour, enchant, entrance, fascinate, get, get, get, get, grab, grab, haul, hitch, match, overhear, overtake, pick up, pinch, see, snap, snatch, stop, take hold of, take in, taking into custody, trance, trip up, view, watch

Antonyms: unhitch

See Also: accumulate, ache, acquire, acquire, adult, amass, appeal, attach, attract, attract, bag, batfowl, board, capture, catch cold, catch fire, catch up, change, check, click, clutch, collect, combust, compete, compile, comprehend, conflagrate, constraint, contain, contend, contract, control, curb, delay, delivery, detain, detent, discover, dog, doorstop, doorstopper, draw, draw in, drawback, ensnare, entrap, erupt, fair catch, fastener, fastening, find, find out, fish, fixing, gaining control, game, get, get, get, get a line, get on, get wind, get word, grownup, harpoon, hasp, hear, hear, hit, hoard, hold, hold, hold in, hold up, holdfast, hood latch, hook, hook, hunt, hunt down, hurt, ignite, indefinite quantity, intercept, interception, interlock, interlocking, lasso, latch, learn, listen, manner of speaking, mesh, meshing, moderate, net, nett, object, pawl, perceive, physical object, pick up, pile up, play, prehend, preview, propagate, pull, pull in, rat, rebound, recapture, reception, reproduce, restraint, retake, rope, run, see, seize, seizure, shoestring catch, snag, snare, spectate, speech, spread, stop, suffer, surprise, take, take fire, touch, touching, track down, trammel, trap, trip, tripper, understand, vie, visualise, visualize, witness, work

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