catch

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To capture or seize, especially after a chase.
2. v. To take by or as if by trapping or snaring.
3. v. To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally: He was caught in the act of stealing.
4. v. To become cognizant or aware of suddenly: caught her gazing out the window.
5. v. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp: caught me by the arm; caught the reins.
6. v. To grab so as to stop the motion of: catch a ball.
7. v. To overtake: The green car caught me on the straightaway.
8. v. To reach just in time; take: caught the bus to town; catch a wave.
9. v. To hold, as by snagging or entangling.
10. v. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair.
11. v. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour.
12. v. To hit; strike: a punch that caught me in the stomach.
13. v. To check (oneself) during an action: I caught myself before replying.
14. v. To become subject to or to contract, as by exposure to a pathogen: catch a cold.
15. v. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival.
16. v. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late.
17. v. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch.
18. v. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence
19. v. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning.
20. v. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.
21. v. To attract and fix; arrest: couldn't catch their attention; caught the teacher's eye.
22. v. To charm; captivate.
23. v. To deceive: failed to be caught by their fraudulent schemes.
24. v. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show.
25. v. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep.
26. v. To become held, entangled, or fastened: My coat caught in the car door.
27. v. To act or move so as to hold or grab someone or something: tried to catch at the life preserver.
28. v. To be communicable or infectious; spread.
29. v. To ignite: The fire caught.
30. v. Baseball To act as catcher.
31. n. The act of catching; a taking and holding.
32. n. Something that catches, especially a device for fastening or for checking motion.
33. n. Something caught: The mistake you found was a good catch.
34. n. Informal One that is worth having, especially an attractive or admirable marital partner.
35. n. Sports The grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground.
36. n. Sports A game of throwing and catching a ball.
37. n. A quantity that is caught: The catch amounted to 50 fish.
38. n. A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice.
39. n. A stop or break in the operation of a mechanism.
40. n. A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback: It sounds like a good offer, but there may be a catch.
41. n. A snatch; a fragment.
42. n. Music A canonic, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.
43. catch on To understand; perceive.
44. catch on To become popular: Skateboarding caught on quickly.
45. catch out To detect (another) in wrongdoing or error.
46. catch up 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.
47. catch up To become equal or on a par with another: finally caught up with his brother in height.
48. catch up To bring an activity to completion or to a state of currentness: catch up on correspondence.
49. catch up To bring (another) up to date; brief: Let me catch you up on all the gossip.
50. catch up To seize or lift suddenly: The wind caught up the umbrella and carried it off.
51. catch up To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal.
52. catch up To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening.
53. idiom. catch fire To ignite.
54. idiom. catch fire To become very enthusiastic.
55. idiom. catch fire To become the subject of great interest and widespread enthusiasm: an idea that caught fire all over the country.
56. idiom. catch it Informal To receive a punishment or scolding.
57. idiom. catch (one's) breath To rest so as to be able to continue an activity.
58. idiom. catch up with To find or arrest after a period of pursuit: The police finally caught up with him in Omaha.
59. idiom. catch up with To have unpleasant consequences for, especially after a period of quiesence: mistakes that caught up with him when he ran for President.
60. idiom. catch you later Informal Used to express good-bye.

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of seizing or capturing.
2. n. The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.
3. n. The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.
4. n. The game of catching a ball.
5. n. A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.
6. n. Something which is captured or caught.
7. n. The amount which is caught, especially of fish.
8. n. A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.
9. n. A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.
10. n. A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.
11. n. A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.
12. n. A fragment of music or poetry.
13. n. A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush.
14. n. A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.
15. n. A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch.
16. n. A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.
17. n. The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse.
18. n. The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out.
19. n. A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well.
20. n. The first contact of an oar with the water.
21. n. A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough.
22. v. To capture, overtake.
23. v. To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape). [from 13th c.]
24. v. I hope I catch a fish.
25. v. He ran but we caught him at the exit.
26. v. The police caught the robber at a nearby casino.
27. v. To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive. [from 14th c.]
28. v. 1611, Authorized King James Version, Mark 12:13:
29. v. And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
30. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.
31. v. 1933, Sinclair Lewis, Ann Vickers, page 108, [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NF5JAAAAMAAJ]:
32. v. The public […] said that Miss Bogardus was a suffragist because she had never caught a man; that she wanted something, but it wasn't the vote.
33. v. 2006, Michael Collier and Georgia Machemer, Medea, page 23, [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=XKDr4vXVbvIC|isbn=0195145666]:
34. v. As for Aspasia, concubinage with Pericles brought her as much honor as she could hope to claim in Athens. […] from the moment she caught her man, this influential, unconventional woman became a lightning rod […]
35. v. To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc. [from 16th c.]
36. v. If he catches you on the chin, you'll be on the mat.
37. v. To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for. [from 17th c.]
38. v. If you leave now you might catch him.
39. v. I would love to have dinner but I have to catch a plane.
40. v. To discover unexpectedly; to surprise (someone doing something). [from 17th c.]
41. v. He was caught on video robbing the bank.
42. v. He was caught in the act of stealing a biscuit.
43. v. To travel by means of. [from 19th c.]
44. v. 1987, A.J. Quinnell, In the Name of the Father, page 111, [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=GJc1izYyDIkC|isbn=0453005713]:
45. v. After about a kilometer I caught a taxi to Santa Croce.
46. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To become pregnant. (Only in past tense or as participle.) [from 19th c.]
47. v. 2002, Orpha Caton, Shadow on the Creek, page 102-103, [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=GmLXMp0c3NMC|isbn1591602653]:
48. v. Had Nancy got caught with a child? If so she would destroy her parent's dreams for her.
49. v. To seize hold of.
50. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To grab, seize, take hold of. [from 13th c.]
51. v. I caught her by the arm and turned her to face me.
52. v. To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep. [from 14th c.]
53. v. I have to stop for a moment and catch my breath.
54. v. I caught some Z's on the train.
55. v. To grip or entangle. [from 17th c.]
56. v. My leg was caught in a tree-root.
57. v. To be held back or impeded.
58. v. Be careful your dress doesn't catch on that knob.
59. v. His voice caught when he came to his father's name.
60. v. To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process.
61. v. Push it in until it catches.
62. v. The engine finally caught and roared to life.
63. v. To have something be held back or impeded.
64. v. I caught my heel on the threshold.
65. v. To make a grasping or snatching motion (at). [from 17th c.]
66. v. He caught at the railing as he fell.
67. v. Of fire, to spread or be conveyed to. [from 18th c.]
68. v. The fire spread slowly until it caught the eaves of the barn.
69. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To grip (the water) with one's oars at the beginning of the stroke. [from 19th c.]
70. v. 1906, Arthur W. Stevens, Practical Rowing with Scull and Sweep, [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=M6ICAAAAYAAJ|page=63]:
71. v. Stop gathering, in that gradual fashion, and catch the water sharply and decisively.
72. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To germinate and set down roots. [from 19th c.]
73. v. The seeds caught and grew.
74. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To contact a wave in such a way that one can ride it back to shore.
75. v. 2001, John Lull, Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue, page 203 http://books.google.com/books?id=h5IVyQlKsL4C|isbn=0899972748:
76. v. If you are surfing a wave through the rocks, make sure you have a clear route before catching the wave.
77. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To handle an exception. [from 20th c.]
78. v. When the program catches an exception, this is recorded in the log file.
79. v. To intercept.
80. v. To seize or intercept a object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium). [from 16th c.]
81. v. I will throw you the ball, and you catch it.
82. v. Watch me catch this raisin in my mouth.
83. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To seize (an opportunity) when it occurs. [from 16th c.]
84. v. 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 18:
85. v. she internally resolved henceforward to catch every opportunity of eyeing the hair and of satisfying herself, […]
86. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To end a player's innings by catching a hit ball before the first bounce. [from 18th c.]
87. v. Townsend hit 29 before he was caught by Wilson.
88. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To play (a specific period of time) as the catcher. [from 19th c.]
89. v. He caught the last three innings.
90. v. To receive (by being in the way).
91. v. To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.). [from 13th c.]
92. v. You're going to catch a beating if they find out.
93. v. To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure. [from 13th c.]
94. v. The sunlight caught the leaves and the trees turned to gold.
95. v. Her hair was caught by the light breeze.
96. v. To be infected by (an illness). [from 16th c.]
97. v. Everyone seems to be catching the flu this week.
98. v. This template needs documentation and categorisation. Please create the documentation page.To receive or be affected by (wind, water, fire etc.). [from 18th c.]
99. v. The bucket catches water from the downspout.
100. v. The trees caught quickly in the dry wind.
101. v. 2003, Jerry Dennis, The Living Great Lakes, page 63 [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3P8lsPL0FQQC|isbn=0312251939]:
102. v. the sails caught and filled, and the boat jumped to life beneath us.
103. v. To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or infection. [from 16th c.]
104. v. She finally caught the mood of the occasion.
105. v. To be hit by something.
106. v. He caught a bullet in the back of the head last year.
107. v. To serve well or poorly for catching, especially for catching fish.
108. v. {{quote-book|1877||Annual Report of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture|page=135|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=tXUSAAAAYAAJ
109. v. To take in with one's senses or intellect.
110. v. To grasp mentally: perceive and understand. [from 16th c.]
111. v. Did you catch his name?
112. v. Did you catch the way she looked at him?
113. v. To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment). [from 20th c.]
114. v. I have some free time tonight so I think I'll catch a movie.
115. v. To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully. [from 17th c.]
116. v. You've really caught his determination in this sketch.
117. v. To seize attention, interest.
118. v. To charm or entrance. [from 14th c.]
119. v. 2004, Catherine Asaro, The Moon's Shadow, page 40 [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=O2Rj1kYTF1kC|isbn=076534324X]:
120. v. No, a far more natural beauty caught him.
121. v. To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense). [from 17th c.]
122. v. He managed to catch her attention.
123. v. The enormous scarf did catch my eye.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To lay hold on; to seize, especially with the hand; to grasp (anything) in motion, with the effect of holding.
2. v. To seize after pursuing; to arrest.
3. v. To take captive, as in a snare or net, or on a hook.
4. v. Hence: To insnare; to entangle.
5. v. To seize with the senses or the mind; to apprehend.
6. v. To communicate to; to fasten upon.
7. v. To engage and attach; to please; to charm.
8. v. To get possession of; to attain.
9. v. To take or receive; esp. to take by sympathy, contagion, infection, or exposure.
10. v. To come upon unexpectedly or by surprise; to find.
11. v. To reach in time; to come up with.
12. v. To attain possession.
13. v. To be held or impeded by entanglement or a light obstruction.
14. v. To take hold.
15. v. To spread by, or as by, infecting; to communicate.
16. n. Act of seizing; a grasp.
17. n. That by which anything is caught or temporarily fastened.