catch

I. verb (caught; catching) Etymology: Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-French cacher, chacher, chacer to hunt, from Vulgar Latin *captiare, alteration of Latin captare to chase, frequentative of capere to take — more at heave Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. a. to capture or seize especially after pursuit <

catch a thief

> b. to take or entangle in or as if in a snare <

catch fish in a net

> c. deceive d. to discover unexpectedly ; find <

caught in the act

> e. to check (oneself) suddenly or momentarily f. to become suddenly aware of <

caught me looking at him

> 2. a. to take hold of ; seize b. to affect suddenly c. to grasp and hold on to (something in motion) <

catch a fly ball

> d. to avail oneself of ; take <

caught the first opportunity to leave

> e. to obtain through effort ; get <

catch a ride

> f. to overtake unexpectedly — usually used in the passive <

was caught in a storm

> g. to get entangled <

catch a sleeve on a nail

> 3. to become affected by: as a. contract <

catch a cold

> b. to respond sympathetically to the point of being imbued with <

catch the spirit of an occasion

> c. to be struck by <

he caught a bullet in the leg

> d. to be subjected to ; receive <

catch hell

> 4. a. to take in and retain <

a barrel to catch rainwater

> b. fasten 5. to take or get usually momentarily or quickly <

catch a glimpse of a friend

> <

catch a nap

> 6. a. overtake <

catch the leader in a race

> b. to get aboard in time <

catch the bus

> 7. to attract and hold ; arrest, engage <

caught my attention

> <

caught her eye

> 8. to make contact with ; strike <

the pitch caught him in the back

> 9. a. to grasp by the senses or the mind <

you catch what I mean?

> <

didn't catch the name

> b. to apprehend and fix by artistic means <

catch a person's likeness

> 10. a. see, watch <

catch a game on TV

> b. to listen to 11. to serve as a catcher for in baseball 12. to meet with <

catch you later

> intransitive verb 1. to grasp hastily or try to grasp 2. to become caught 3. to catch fire 4. to play the position of catcher on a baseball team 5. kick over <

the engine caught

> • catchable adjective Synonyms: catch, capture, trap, snare, entrap, ensnare, bag mean to come to possess or control by or as if by seizing. catch implies the seizing of something in motion or in flight or in hiding <

caught the dog as it ran by

>. capture suggests taking by overcoming resistance or difficulty <

capture an enemy stronghold

>. trap, snare, entrap, ensnare imply seizing by some device that holds the one caught at the mercy of the captor. trap and snare apply more commonly to physical seizing <

trap animals

> <

snared butterflies with a net

>. entrap and ensnare more often are figurative <

entrapped the witness with a trick question

> <

a sting operation that ensnared burglars

>. bag implies shooting down a fleeing or distant prey <

bagged a brace of pheasants

>. II. noun Date: 15th century 1. something caught; especially the total quantity caught at one time <

a large catch of fish

> 2. a. the act, action, or fact of catching b. a game in which a ball is thrown and caught 3. something that checks or holds immovable <

a safety catch

> 4. one worth catching especially as a spouse 5. a round for three or more unaccompanied usually male voices often with suggestive or obscene lyrics 6. fragment, snatch 7. a concealed difficulty or complication <

there must be a catch

> 8. a momentary audible break in the voice or breath