latch onto
To obtain, acquire or get and keep hold of somethingTo obtain, acquire or get and keep hold of something.
Meaning
2 senses(idiomatic, transitive)To obtain, acquire or get and keep hold of something.
They latched onto the idea and gave it up only reluctantly.
(idiomatic, transitive)To approach or stay close to someone, especially in a manner perceived as bothersome.
He was looking for someone to talk to and latched onto me for some reason.
Examples
5 sentencesWhy did you latch onto me?
ruЧего ты ко мне прицепился? — marafon
deWarum hast du dich an mich geklammert? — Yorwba
I latch onto difficult topics to challenge my mind.
He is the most self-confident, which is why the journalist latched onto him.
ruОн самый уверенный в себе, поэтому журналист в него и вцепился. — User83002
People often latch onto conspiracy stories because they cannot accept simple explanations for life-altering events, according to Ditto.
Why am I the only one they complain about? They just latched onto me and made me a scapegoat.
ruПочему они жалуются только на меня? Они попросту ко мне прицепились и сделали меня козлом отпущения. — akrav
Translations
1 languagesForms
latches onto, latching onto, latched onto, latched onto| Base form | latch onto · to latch onto |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | latches onto |
| Present participle | latching onto |
| Past simple | latched onto |
| Past participle | latched onto |
irregular
Synonyms
7 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.