catch
catch Lexical Profile
catch Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An act of intercepting and holding a moving object, especially a ball in sports, or a simple game in which players throw a ball back and forth to one another.
"The outfielder made a diving catch near the warning track to end the inning."
A hidden problem, drawback, or tricky condition in an apparently favorable situation or offer.
"The apartment is spacious and remarkably cheap, so there must be a catch."
The total amount of fish or game captured at one time or over a specific period.
"The fishermen returned to the harbor at dawn with a bountiful catch of Atlantic cod."
A person considered desirable or worth pursuing as a romantic partner or spouse.
"With his kind nature and steady career, everyone agreed he was a great catch."
A mechanical device, such as a latch, hook, or bolt, used for fastening a door, window, or container.
"She repaired the brass catch on the vintage jewelry box so the lid would stay shut."
• verb
To intercept and hold something that has been thrown, propelled, or dropped.
"She reached out her hand to catch the keys before they hit the pavement."
To capture, trap, or seize a person or animal after a pursuit or through a snare.
"The wildlife biologists set humane traps to catch and tag the local foxes."
To reach and board a scheduled train, bus, plane, or other vehicle in time before it departs.
"We had to hurry through the terminal to catch the last train home."
To contract an illness or infection from another person or the environment.
"Several students managed to catch a mild cold during the winter trip."
To perceive, hear, or understand something fleeting or indistinct.
"The room was so noisy that I didn't quite catch her name when we were introduced."
• Rhymes for catch
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English cacchen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French cachier ('to chase, hunt'), from Vulgar Latin *captiare, ultimately a frequentative of Latin capere ('to take, seize'). It shares the same root as 'chase', which entered English via Central Old French.