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catch

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catch

  • /kæt͡ʃ/ Australia, UK
  • /kɛt͡ʃ/ obsolete, Australia, UK
  • /kæt͡ʃ/ Australia
  • /kæt͡ʃ/ Canada, US
  • /kɛt͡ʃ/ Canada, US
  • /kɑt͡ʃ/ Southern US, obsolete

Sounds like ketch stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn · Rhymes with -ætʃ, -ɛtʃ

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

substratebor.?

Proto-Indo-European *kap-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti

Proto-Indo-European *kaptós

Proto-Italic *kaptos

Latin captus

Proto-Indo-European *-yetider.

Latin -io

Vulgar Latin *captiāre

Old French chacierbor.

Anglo-Norman cachierbor.

Middle English cacchen

English catch

From Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-Norman cachier, variant of Old French chacier, from Late Latin captiāre, from Latin captāre, frequentative of capere. Akin to Modern French chasser (from Old French chacier) and Spanish cazar, and thus a doublet of chase. Compare ketch. Via PIE cognate with have. Displaced Middle English fangen ("to catch"; > Modern English fang (verb)), from Old English fōn (“to seize, take”); Middle English lacchen ("to catch" and heavily displaced Modern English latch), from Old English læċċan.

The verb became irregular, possibly under the influence of the semantically similar latch (from Old English læċċan), whose past tense was lahte, lauhte, laught (Old English læhte), until becoming regularised in Modern English.

noun catches

  1. countable The act of seizing or capturing. The catch of the perpetrator was the product of a year of police work.
  2. countable The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball. The player made an impressive catch.
  3. countable The act of noticing, understanding or hearing. Good catch. I never would have remembered that.
  4. uncountable The game of catching a ball. The kids love to play catch.
  5. countable Something which is captured or caught. The fishermen took pictures of their catch.
  6. broadly, colloquial, countable A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse. Did you see his latest catch?
  7. countable A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening. She installed a sturdy catch to keep her cabinets closed tight.
  8. countable A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion. There was a catch in his voice when he spoke his father's name.
  9. countable A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation. It sounds like a great idea, but what's the catch?
  10. countable A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use. I bent over to see under the table and got a catch in my side.
  11. countable A fragment of music or poetry. In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.
  12. countable, obsolete, uncountable A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush. You lie at the catch again: this is not for edification.
  13. countable A crop which has germinated and begun to grow. There was a good catch of rye and a good fall growth.
  14. countable, obsolete, uncountable A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch. Fourteene miles Northward from the river Powhatan, is the river Pamaunke, which is navigable 60 or 70 myles, but with Catches and small Barkes 30 or 40 myles farther.
  15. countable A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics. Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch / You taught me but while-ere?
  16. countable The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse. The phrase repeated itself like the catch of a song.
  17. countable The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out. It was he who removed Peter Bowler with the help of a good catch at third slip.
  18. countable A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well. […] in the field he is all activity, covers an immense amount of ground, and is a sure catch.
  19. countable The first contact of an oar with the water. They are sitting up straighter, breaking their arms at the catch and getting on a terrific amount of power at the catch with each stroke.
  20. countable A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough. When a Scot pronounces water, better, or bottle—wa’er, be’er, or bo’le—the sound is precisely that of the catch; […].
  21. countable, uncountable Passing opportunities seized; snatches. the way it has been writ in, by catches, and many long intervals of interruption
  22. countable, uncountable A slight remembrance; a trace. We retain a catch of those pretty stories.

Similar: seizure, capture, collar, snatch, grasp, snatch

verb catches · catching · caught · catch

  1. transitive To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape). I hope I catch a fish.
  2. transitive To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive. And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
  3. dated, figuratively, transitive To marry or enter into a similar relationship with. 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.
  4. transitive To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc. If he catches you on the chin, you'll be on the mat.
  5. transitive To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for. If you leave now you might catch him.
  6. transitive To discover and observe (someone or something while it takes some action or exists) (sometimes, but not always, with implications of 'unpleasantly' or 'unexpectedly'). He was caught in the act of stealing a biscuit.
  7. transitive To record, for example on film or tape. It's the very first time such an elusive bird has been caught on film.
  8. transitive To travel by means of. catch the bus
  9. rare, transitive To become pregnant. (Only in past tense or as participle.) Had Nancy got caught with a child? If so she would destroy her parent's dreams for her.
  10. dated, transitive To grab, seize, take hold of. I caught her by the arm and turned her to face me.
  11. transitive To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep. I have to stop for a moment and catch my breath
  12. transitive To grip or entangle. My leg was caught in a tree-root.
  13. intransitive To be held back or impeded. Be careful your dress doesn't catch on that knob.
  14. intransitive To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process. Push it in until it catches.
  15. transitive To have something be held back or impeded. I caught my heel on the threshold.
  16. intransitive To make a grasping or snatching motion (at). He caught at the railing as he fell.
  17. transitive To spread or be conveyed to. The Palace of Deiphobus aſcends / In ſmoaky Flames, and catches on his Friends. / Ucalegon burns next; the Seas are bright / VVith ſplendor, not their ovvn; and ſhine vvith Trojan light.
  18. transitive To grip (the water) with one's oars at the beginning of the stroke. Stop gathering, in that gradual fashion, and catch the water sharply and decisively.
  19. intransitive To germinate and set down roots. The seeds caught and grew.
  20. transitive To contact a wave in such a way that one can ride it back to shore. If you are surfing a wave through the rocks, make sure you have a clear route before catching the wave.
  21. transitive To handle an exception. When the program catches an exception, this is recorded in the log file.
  22. transitive To seize or intercept an object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium). I will throw you the ball, and you catch it.
  23. archaic, transitive To seize (an opportunity) when it occurs. she internally resolved henceforward to catch every opportunity of eyeing the hair and of satisfying herself,[…].
  24. transitive To end a player's innings by catching a hit ball before the first bounce. Townsend hit 29 before he was caught by Wilson.
  25. intransitive, transitive To play (a specific period of time) as the catcher. He caught the last three innings.
  26. transitive To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.). You're going to catch a beating if they find out.
  27. transitive To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure. The sunlight caught the leaves and the trees turned to gold.
  28. informal, transitive To become infected by (an illness). Near-synonym: come down with
  29. intransitive To spread by infection or similar means. Does the sedition catch from man to man?
  30. intransitive, transitive To receive or be affected by (wind, water, fire etc.). The bucket catches water from the downspout.
  31. transitive To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or influence. She finally caught the mood of the occasion.
  32. transitive To be hit by something. He caught a bullet in the back of the head last year.
  33. intransitive To serve well or poorly for catching, especially for catching fish. The nets caught well, and Mr. Deeley reported it the best fishing ground he ever tried.
  34. intransitive To get pregnant. Well, if you didn't catch this time, we'll have more fun trying again until you do.
  35. transitive To grasp mentally: perceive and understand. Did you catch his name?
  36. transitive To notice, to detect. -You made a typo. -Ah, thanks for catching that.
  37. informal, transitive To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment). I have some free time tonight so I think I'll catch a movie.
  38. transitive To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully. You've really caught his determination in this sketch.
  39. transitive To charm or entrance. No, a far more natural beauty caught him.
  40. transitive To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense). He managed to catch her attention.

Similar: fang, snatch, grab, capture, take, snare, hook

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