American Heritage Dictionary Entry: catch HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com catch (kăch, kĕch) Share: Tweet v. caught (kôt), catch·ing, catch·es v.tr. 1. a. To get and hold (something that has been in motion) in a hand, the hands, a container, or an implement: caught the ball in the web of the lacrosse stick. b. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp: caught me by the arm; caught the reins. c. To stop (oneself) from doing an action: I caught myself before replying. 2. a. To capture or seize, especially after a chase: The police caught the robber in the next town. b. To capture or take by trapping, snaring, or some other means: I caught three fish with that lure. c. To take in and hold or contain: a pond that catches runoff. 3. a. To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally: He was caught in the act of stealing. b. To become cognizant or aware of suddenly: caught her gazing out the window. 4. a. To reach just in time; get so as to be carried by: caught the bus to town; catch a wave. b. To overtake: The driver of the green car caught the leader on the straightaway. 5. a. To cause to become hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair. b. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour. 6. a. To make contact with; strike: The boxer caught his opponent with a left hook. b. To propel an object so that it hits (something): The center caught the back of the net with a hard shot. 7. a. To become subject to or to contract, as by exposure to a pathogen: catch a cold. b. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival. c. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late. 8. a. To perceive suddenly or momentarily: We caught a glimpse of the movie star. I caught a whiff of her perfume. b. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence c. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning. 9. a. To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show. b. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep. 10. a. To attract and fix; arrest: couldn't catch their attention; caught the teacher's eye. b. To reproduce or represent effectively: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings. 11. To deceive: failed to be caught by their fraudulent schemes. 12. Baseball To play (a game) as catcher. v.intr. 1. To become held, entangled, or fastened: My coat caught in the car door. 2. To act or move so as to hold or grab someone or something: tried to catch at the life preserver. 3. To be communicable or infectious; spread. 4. To become ignited: The fire caught. 5. Baseball To act as catcher. n. 1. a. The act of catching, especially the grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground. b. A game of throwing and catching a ball. 2. a. A quantity that is caught: The catch amounted to 50 fish. b. Something that is perceived or noticed: The mistake you found was a good catch. c. Informal A person considered to be an attractive or admirable romantic partner. 3. A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback: It sounds like a good offer, but there may be a catch. 4. A device for fastening something or for checking motion: The car's hood has a safety catch. 5. A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice: a catch in his voice. 6. A snatch; a fragment: could only hear catches of the song. 7. Music A canonic, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.Phrasal Verbs: catch on 1. To understand something: These students catch on quickly. 2. To become popular: Skateboarding caught on quickly. catch out To detect (another) in wrongdoing or error. catch up 1. To move fast enough to attain the same progress as another; draw even: caught up to the leader on the last lap of the race. 2. To become equal or on a par with another: finally caught up with his brother in height. 3. To bring an activity to completion or to a state of currentness: catch up on correspondence. 4. To bring (another) up to date; brief: Let me catch you up on all the gossip. 5. To seize or lift suddenly: The wind caught up the umbrella and carried it off. 6. To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal. 7. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.Idioms: catch fire 1. To ignite. 2. To become very enthusiastic. 3. To become the subject of great interest and widespread enthusiasm: an idea that caught fire all over the country. catch it Informal To receive a punishment or scolding. catch (one's) breath To rest so as to be able to continue an activity. catch (one's) death To catch a cold or other illness. catch up with 1. To find or arrest after a period of pursuit: The police finally caught up with him in Omaha. 2. To have unpleasant consequences for, especially after a period of quiescence: mistakes that caught up with him when he ran for president. catch you later Informal Used to express good-bye. [Middle English cacchen, from Old North French cachier, to chase, from Vulgar Latin *captiāre; see CHASE1.] catcha·ble adj. Synonyms: catch, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, snare1, trap1 These verbs mean to take in and hold as if by using bait or a lure: caught in a web of lies; enmeshed in the dispute; ensnared an unsuspecting customer; became entangled in her own contradictions; entrapped by a convincing undercover agent; snared by false hopes; trapped into incriminating himself. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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