Englishcatch
verb
1 he caught the ball:
seize, grab, snatch, seize/grab/take hold of, lay (one's) hands on, get one's hands on, grasp, grip, clutch, clench, fasten on, pluck, hold, hang onto;
receive, acquire, get, come into possession of, intercept.
▷antonyms drop.
2 we've caught a dangerous thief:
capture, seize;
apprehend, take, arrest, lay hold of, take prisoner, take captive, take into custody, haul in;
trap, snare, ensnare;
net, hook, reel in, land, beach, bag;
informal nab, collar, run in, bust, pull in, do, feel someone's collar;
British, informal pinch, nick.
▷antonyms release.
3 the heel of Hannah's shoe had caught in a hole:
become trapped, become stuck, stick, become wedged, become entangled, become snarled up, become snagged, snag.
4 she caught the 7.45 bus:
be in time for, reach in time, make, get to;
board, get on, enter, go on board, go aboard, step aboard, mount, ascend, embark;
informal hop on, jump on;
formal embus, entrain, emplane.
▷antonyms miss; alight.
5 they were caught siphoning gas from a car:
discover, detect, find, come upon/across, stumble on, chance on, light on, bring to light, turn up, expose, find out, unmask;
surprise, take by surprise, catch unawares, catch off guard, catch red-handed, catch in the act, catch out, burst in on.
6 it was the business plan that had caught his imagination:
engage, capture, attract, draw, gain, grab, arrest, seize, hold, win, absorb, engross, rivet, grip, captivate, bewitch.
7 she caught a faint trace of discreet aftershave:
perceive, notice, observe, discern, detect, note, become aware of, make out, spot, see;
British, informal clock.
▷antonyms miss.
8 I had to strain my ears to catch what she was saying:
hear, perceive, recognize, discern, make out;
understand, comprehend, grasp, take in, fathom, puzzle out, apprehend, get to the bottom of, unravel, decipher;
follow, keep up with;
informal get, get the drift of, get the hang of, catch onto, latch onto, make head or tail of, figure out, get the picture, get the message;
British, informal twig, suss out, suss.
9 the scenes caught the flavor of London in the sixties:
evoke, conjure up, suggest, summon up, call to mind, recall, express, reproduce, represent, show, encapsulate, capture, record;
film, photograph, draw, paint.
10 the blow caught her on the side of her face:
hit, strike, slap, smack, crack, bang, connect with, contact.
▷antonyms miss.
11 he served in Macedonia, where he caught malaria:
become infected with, contract, get, take, become ill/sick with, fall ill/sick with, be taken ill with, show symptoms of, succumb to, develop, go/come down with, sicken for, fall victim to, be struck down with, be stricken with;
British go down with;
informal take ill with;
North American, informal take sick with.
▷antonyms shake off; escape.
12 as the kindling caught he added larger pieces of wood:
ignite, become ignited, burn, start burning, flame, catch/take fire, burst into flames, flame up, kindle.
▷antonyms go out.
13 the generator caught immediately:
start, start running, fire, begin working, go, function, operate.
▷antonyms stop.
□ catch it
informal
□ catch onI'll catch it if he finds me here:
be reprimanded, be scolded, be rebuked, be taken to task, be admonished, be chastised, be castigated, get into trouble, be hauled over the coals;
informal be told off, be for it, be for the high jump, get into hot/deep water, get into shtook, get a dressing-down, get an earful, get a roasting, get a rocket, get a rollicking, get a rap over the knuckles, get a slap on the wrist.
1 as radio caught on, politicians became increasingly aware of the medium's power:
become popular, take off, become fashionable, come into fashion/vogue, boom, flourish, thrive;
informal become trendy, become all the rage.
2 it's double Dutch to me at the moment, but I catch on fast:
□ catch upunderstand, comprehend, learn, realize;
find out, see the light, see daylight, work out what's going on, get the point;
informal cotton on, tumble, latch on, get the picture, get the message, get the drift, get wise, understand/see what's what;
British, informal twig.
noun
2 informal I think you're a good catch:
eligible man/woman, prospect, marriage prospect, match, suitable husband/wife/spouse.
3 he put a hand inside the window, trying to slip the catch:
latch, lock, fastener, fastening, clasp, hasp, hook, bar, clip, bolt;
Scottish sneck, snib.
4 the suspicious customer is always looking for the catch:
snag, disadvantage, drawback, stumbling block, hitch, fly in the ointment, joker in the pack, pitfall, complication, problem, hiccup, hindrance, difficulty, setback, hurdle, downside, minus;
trap, trick, snare, wile, dodge;
British disbenefit;
informal ploy, con.