Meaning

40 senses
  1. To capture, overtake.

    (transitive)To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape).

    I hope I catch a fish.

    He ran but we caught him at the exit.

    fangen

    лови́тьlovítʹ, пойма́тьpojmátʹ

    лови́тиlovýty, пійма́тиpijmáty, злови́тиzlovýty

  2. (transitive)To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive.

  3. (dated, figuratively, transitive)To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.

  4. (transitive)To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc.

    If he catches you on the chin, you'll be on the mat.

    reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot

  5. (transitive)To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for.

    If you leave now you might catch him.

    I would love to have dinner but I have to catch a plane.

    bekommen, erwischen

    catch up with and possibly overtake

  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.

    He was caught on video robbing the bank.

  8. (transitive)To travel by means of.

    catch the bus

  9. (rare, transitive)To become pregnant. (Only in past tense or as participle.)

  10. To seize hold of.

    (dated, transitive)To grab, seize, take hold of.

    I caught her by the arm and turned her to face me.

    take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

  11. (transitive)To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep.

    I have to stop for a moment and catch my breath

    I caught some Z's on the train.

  12. (transitive)To grip or entangle.

    My leg was caught in a tree-root.

    to hook or entangle

Examples

4601 sentences
  1. I was caught in the rain.

    Я потрапив під дощ.

    ruПопал под дождь.

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  2. I was caught in a shower.

    Мене спіймали в душі.

    ruЯ попала под ливень.

    deIch bin in einen Regenschauer geraten.

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  3. You must catch the animal alive.

    Мусиш упіймати тварину живою.

    ruВам нужно поймать животное живым.

    deDu musst das Tier lebendig fangen.

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  4. I didn't catch your last name.

    Я не розчув твоє прізвище.

    ruЯ не расслышал вашу фамилию.

    deIch habe deinen Nachnamen nicht mitbekommen.

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  5. The police caught up with him.

    Поліція наздогнала його.

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 3
to intercept an object in the air etc.:
to capture or snare:
to contract a disease or illness:
Русский
By meaning 4
to intercept an object in the air etc.:
to seize an opportunity:
to contract a disease or illness:
to perceive and understand:
Deutsch
By meaning 4
to intercept an object in the air etc.:
to reach in time to leave:
to contract a disease or illness:
to perceive and understand:

Origin

From Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-Norman cachier, variant of Old French chacier, fro

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.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

catches, catching, caught, caught
Base formcatch · to catch
3rd person singularcatches
Present participlecatching
Past simplecaught
Past participlecaught

irregular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theycatch
he, she, itcatches

Past simpleLesson

all personscaught

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave caught
he, she, ithas caught

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill catch

Phrasal verbs

3 phrasal verbs

Synonyms

13 synonyms
seize in motion:grabB1fangsnatch
Close in meaning
  • grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of:get
  • take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of:grab
  • attract and fix:arrestget

Antonyms

2 antonyms

Word family

61 related words

Collocations

12 patterns
  • catch up with
  • caught a cold
  • to catch the
  • got caught
  • to catch up
  • catch the train
  • able to catch
  • catch the ball
  • caught in a
  • catch the bus
  • caught sight of
  • was caught in

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
catch — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto