Skip to main content
catch

catch

56 6.1
A person who would make a good partner
  • noun
  • /kæʧ/
  • Informal
translation icon : buen partido
  • After meeting him, I realized he was quite a catch for anyone looking for a serious relationship.

I work hard, I'm a good catch, so why not?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • But he is such a catch.

  • What that means is you're a wonderful catch for someone, but that someone isn't me.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • As long as you feel like you are a catch, you are the catch.

  • I mean, he sounds like a catch with those requirements.

  • Perhaps, in their eyes, it was the great man who would be the prize catch, not her.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Luke is by far the best catch in Lee County.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I work hard, I'm a good catch, so why not?

  • - I'm known as the catch of the county.

  • You're a catch for the right man.

  • Yeah, he's a good catch.

Synonyms

Miss Right
vscatch
  • Informal
3 6.7

A woman who is the perfect partner for a romantic relationship

is a generally desirable or attractive partner but not necessarily perfect

Idioms

Pause to breathe normally after hard exercise or a shock

Difficult to find, stop, or understand

5 8.2

To become very sick from being outside in the cold, often said as a warning

To notice a small smell of something for a short time

2 7.9

To sleep to get some rest

1 9.9

Get in trouble with the law by being charged with a crime

1 8.9

Using whatever is available and acting without a plan

to catch a body
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To find a dead person, often during police work or as slang for killing someone

To not pay attention and miss what is happening around you, for example because you are daydreaming

To try to get people to agree by being harsh or unpleasant

7.0

Challenge someone to try to reach or pass you

to catch no ball
  • Informal
9.9

To not understand anything in a talk or explanation

9.9

To get a sickness in your chest that makes you cough a lot

to catch a cootie
  • Baby Talk
9.5

To pretend to get a small, not real illness from another person

9.9

To unexpectedly meet a very strong opponent

to catch a wave
  • Informal
6.9

To use a rising trend or new interest to grow quickly

To find someone not ready or not paying attention

8.9

To sleep for a short time

Notice someone being careless when they should be paying attention

Give something small to get something much bigger later

Compounds

Catch-22
  • Informal
18 9.6

A situation where you cannot win because rules block every choice

catch-up
  • Informal
9 3.3

An informal meeting to share news and updates

6 3.6

A time of work to reach the same level after falling behind

The freshest fish or seafood available that day, often on a restaurant menu

2 3.8

Helps someone reach the needed level after falling behind

1 3.5

A short famous saying people often repeat about a person or show

1 4.1

A part on a gun or other weapon that stops it firing by mistake

fair catch
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A player signals and catches a punt without running and cannot be tackled

1 2.9

Seafood caught recently that is not yet cooked or preserved

by-catch
  • Specialized
1 8.0

Animals and other sea life that are caught by accident while people fish for other species

A 2002 American film by Steven Spielberg starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks

catch crop
  • Specialized
6.7

A fast-growing crop planted between main crops to use land and time well

catch pen
  • Specialized
6.3

A small fenced area that holds animals like sheep or cattle for a short time

glottal catch
  • Specialized
9.9

A quick sound made by briefly closing and opening the vocal cords before a vowel

8.6

A baseball play where an outfielder runs and grabs a ball very close to the ground

How Desirable

catch
  • Informal
56 6.1
match
363 2.1

Surface Forms

catch singular
catches plural

Etymology

Catch used as a noun for a desirable partner comes from the idea of a prize you can get, so calling someone a 'catch' means they are worth getting.