kætʃ v. & n. --v. (past
and past part. caught) 1 tr. a lay hold of so as to
restrain or
prevent from escaping;
capture in a trap, in one's hands, etc. b (also catch hold of)
get into one's hands so as to
retain,
operate, etc. (caught hold of
the handle). 2 tr.
detect or
surprise (a
person,
esp. in a
wrongful or embarrassing act) (caught me in the
act;
caught him smoking). 3 tr. a
intercept and hold (a
moving thing) in the hands etc. (failed to catch the ball; a bowl to catch the drips). b Cricket
dismiss (a batsman) by
catching the ball
before it reaches the ground. 4 tr. a
contract (a disease) by
infection or
contagion. b
acquire (a
quality or feeling) from another's
example (caught
her enthusiasm). 5 tr. a
reach in
time and
board (a
train,
bus, etc.). b be in time to see etc. (a person or
thing about to leave or finish) (if
you hurry you'll catch
them; caught the
end of the performance). 6 tr. a
apprehend with the senses or the
mind (esp. a thing occurring quickly or briefly) (didn't catch
what he said). b (of an
artist etc.)
reproduce faithfully. 7 a intr.
become fixed or entangled; be
checked (the bolt
began to catch). b tr.
cause to do
this (caught her
tights on a nail). c tr. (often foll. by on)
hit, deal a blow to (caught him on the
nose; caught
his elbow on the table). 8 tr.
draw the
attention of;
captivate (caught his
eye; caught her fancy). 9 intr.
begin to burn. 10 tr. (often foll. by up) reach or
overtake (a person etc. ahead). 11 tr. check suddenly (caught his breath). 12 tr. (foll. by at)
grasp or
try to grasp. --n. 1 a an act of catching. b Cricket a
chance or act of catching the ball. 2 a an
amount of a thing caught, esp. of fish. b a thing or person caught or
worth catching, esp. in
marriage. 3 a a
question,
trick,
etc.,
intended to
deceive,
incriminate, etc. b an
unexpected or
hidden difficulty or
disadvantage. 4 a
device for fastening a
door or
window etc. 5 Mus. a
round, esp. with words arranged to
produce a
humorous effect. øcatch-all (often attrib.) a thing designed to be all-inclusive. catch-as-catch-can a
style of wrestling with
few holds barred. catch at a
straw see STRAW. catch
crop a crop
grown between two staple crops (in
position or time). catch one's
death see DEATH. catch
fire see FIRE. catch it sl. be punished or in
trouble. catch me! etc. (often foll. by pres. part.) colloq. you
may be
sure I etc.
shall not. catch on colloq. 1 (of a
practice,
fashion, etc.) become
popular. 2 (of a person)
understand what is
meant. catch
out 1 detect in a
mistake etc. 2
take unawares; cause to be bewildered or confused. 3 =
sense 3b of v. catch-phrase a
phrase in
frequent use. catch the
sun 1 be in a
sunny position. 2 become sunburnt. catch up 1 a (often foll. by with) reach a person etc.
ahead (he caught up in the end; he caught us
up; he caught up with us). b (often foll. by with, on)
make up
arrears (of
work etc.) (must catch up with my correspondence). 2
snatch or pick up hurriedly. 3 (often in passive) a
involve;
entangle (caught up in
suspicious dealings). b
fasten up (hair caught up in a ribbon). øøcatchable adj. [ME f. AF & ONF cachier, OF chacier, ult. f. L captare try to catch]