Caught Catch I Time Kætʃ Hold Catching Act

• she managed to catch the keys as they fell.
• ‘throw me over that towel, will you?’ ‘ok. catch!’
• the dog caught the stick in its mouth.
• the roof was leaking and i had to use a bucket to catch the drips.

catch

1. to stop and hold a moving object, especially in your hands
• She managed to catch the keys as they fell.
• ‘Throw me over that towel, will you?’ ‘OK. Catch!’
• The dog caught the stick in its mouth.
2. to hold a liquid when it falls
• The roof was leaking and I had to use a bucket to catch the drips.
3. to take hold of somebody/something
• He caught hold of her arm as she tried to push past him.
4. to capture a person or an animal that tries or would try to escape
• See related entries: Solving crime
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/solving_crime/catch_4
• The murderer was never caught.
• Our cat is hopeless at catching mice.
• How many fish did you catch?
5. to find or discover somebody doing something, especially something wrong
• I caught her smoking in the bathroom.
• You wouldn't catch me working (= I would never work) on a Sunday!
• She caught herself wondering whether she had made a mistake.
• He was caught with bomb-making equipment in his home.
• Mark walked in and caught them at it (= in the act of doing something wrong).
• thieves caught in the act
• You've caught me at a bad time (= at a time when I am busy).
6. to be in time for a bus, train, plane, etc. and get on it
• See related entries: Plane travel
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/plane_travel/catch_1
• We caught the 12.15 from Oxford.
• I must go—I have a train to catch.
7. to be in time to do something, talk to somebody, etc.
• I caught him just as he was leaving the building.
• I was hoping to catch you at home (= to see you at home when you were there).
• The illness can be treated provided it's caught (= discovered) early enough.
• to catch the post (= post letters before the box is emptied)
• Bye for now! I'll catch you later (= speak to you again later).
8. to see or hear something; to attend something
• Let's eat now and maybe we could catch a movie later.
• She looked for him but couldn’t see him in the crowd.
• He could see (that) she had been crying.
• I’ve just spotted a mistake on the front cover.
• She caught sight of a car in the distance.
• He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.
• He’d glimpsed her through the window as he passed.
9. to happen unexpectedly and put somebody in a difficult situation
• His arrival caught me by surprise.
• She got caught in a thunderstorm.
10. to get an illness
• See related entries: Ailments and diseases
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/ailments_and_diseases/catch_3
• to catch measles
• I think I must have caught this cold from you.
11. to become stuck in or on something; to make something become stuck
• Her dress caught on a nail.
• He caught his thumb in the door.
12. to hit somebody/something
• The stone caught him on the side of the head.
• She caught him a blow on the chin.
13. to notice something only for a moment
• She caught sight of a car in the distance.
• He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.
• I caught a look of surprise on her face.
• He caught a whiff of her perfume.
14. to hear or understand something
• Sorry, I didn't quite catch what you said.
15. if something catches your interest, etc., you notice it and feel interested in it
16. to show or describe something accurately
• synonym capture
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/capture_1
• The artist has caught her smile perfectly.
17. if something catches the light or the light catches it, the light shines on it and makes it shine too
• The knife gleamed as it caught the light.
18. if you catch the sun, you become red or brown because of spending time in the sun
• See related entries: The sun and the moon
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/the_sun_and_the_moon/catch_2
19. to begin to burn
• The wooden rafters caught fire.
• These logs are wet: they won't catch.
20. to make a player unable to continue batting by catching the ball they have hit before it touches the ground
21. to suddenly feel an urgent need to go to the toilet/bathroom
22. to be put at a disadvantage
23. to be in a difficult situation when any action you take will have bad results
24. in a situation where you have to choose between two things, both of which are unpleasant
25. to stop breathing for a moment because of fear, shock, etc.
• See related entries: Fear
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/fear/catch_6
26. to breathe normally again after running or doing some tiring exercise
27. to become ill with a cold
28. to have problems
• The film caught a cold over the outstanding debt.
29. to catch a very bad cold
30. to attract somebody’s attention
• Can you catch the waiter's eye?
31. to be punished or spoken to angrily about something
• If your dad finds out you'll really catch it!
32. to get an advantage over somebody by doing something when they are not expecting it and not ready for it
33. to surprise somebody by doing something when they are not expecting it and not ready for it
34. to catch somebody in the act of doing something wrong or committing a crime
35. to attract or please somebody
• She looked through the hotel advertisements until one of them caught her fancy.
36. to upset somebody by reminding them of something they are particularly sensitive about
37. to arrive or do something when somebody is not expecting it and not ready, especially when they are in an embarrassing situation
38. the person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them
39. to make somebody/something unsteady and in danger of falling
• I was thrown off balance by the sudden gust of wind.
40. to make somebody surprised and no longer calm
• See related entries: Surprise
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/surprise/catch_5
• The senator was clearly caught off balance by the unexpected question.

Extra Examples

• A colourful glow appears as the light catches the glass.
• Did you catch that show on the radio?
• He was still hoping to catch the 8.30 ferry.
• He was thinking of catching a plane home.
• I threw the bag in the air and she caught it.
• If you want to catch that bus, you’d better hurry!
• It is unusual to catch measles more than once.
• Let’s eat now and maybe we could catch a movie later.
• Mark walked in and caught them at it.
• Sorry, I didn’t quite catch what you said.
• The knife gleamed as it caught the light.
• The police say they are doing all they can to catch the culprits.
• Then she had to leave to catch her plane.
• They caught the 12.15 from Kings Cross.
• You wouldn’t catch me working on a Sunday.
• You’ve caught me at a bad time.
• thieves caught in the act

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they catch
• he / she / it catches
• past simple caught
• past participle caught
• -ing form catching

Word Origin

• Middle English (also in the sense ‘chase’): from Anglo-Norman French and Old Northern French cachier, variant of Old French chacier, based on Latin captare ‘try to catch’, from capere ‘take’.