Skip to main content
to catch

to catch

278 2.0
To get someone's attention or interest
  • verb
  • /kæʧ/
: llamar la atención
  • Your look, however, did catch the eye of a certain someone.
  • catch the attention
  • catch the eye
  • catch the interest

I'd say what catches my my eye most is a bum.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • One theory is that they need to catch the students while they are young.

    Academic text (1990)
  • And even more obviously, that caught my eye.

  • A cool title caught my eye, made me pick it up.

  • Certainly, that must have caught the attention of a number of readers.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The one that really caught my eye was Emily Rajakowski.

  • There was a young girl called Jennifer who caught the eye of the town burgesses.

  • You're always striving to find something that will catch them or excite them.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The new advertising campaign really caught the attention of young consumers.

  • Her impressive performance in the play caught the eye of several talent agents.

  • The bright colors of the painting caught my interest as soon as I entered the gallery.

Synonyms

to get
vsto catch
  • Informal
∞ 4.1

To attract someone's attention or interest

focuses on attracting interest or affection rather than irritating
to attract
vsto catch
936 1.9

Make people notice or want something

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
103 2.7

Attract someone's attention because it is interesting or noticeable

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to capture
vsto catch
75 3.0

To attract and hold someone's interest or affection

is the broad act of making someone notice or stay interested
to grab
vsto catch
69 1.6

To get someone's attention suddenly and strongly

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to charm
vsto catch
62 2.2

To please people by being friendly and attractive

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to fascinate
vsto catch
51 3.4

To attract and hold someone's strong interest or attention

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
38 2.8

Make someone notice you or something

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to sweep off someone's feet
vsto catch
  • Informal
31 4.5

Make someone feel very impressed and strongly attracted

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to captivate
vsto catch
28 4.2

To attract and hold someone's full attention

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to hold
vsto catch
26 2.2

To keep someone's attention

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to enchant
vsto catch
25 4.8

To make someone feel very pleased and amazed as if by magic

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
23 3.2

To attract and keep people's interest

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
23 3.3

Make someone notice something quickly and feel interested

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to rivet
vsto catch
22 6.1

To hold someone's full attention because something is very interesting or surprising

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to bewitch
vsto catch
16 7.2

To attract and charm someone as if by magic

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to seize
vsto catch
12 3.8

Grab and hold someone's attention suddenly and strongly

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to beguile
vsto catch
7 8.4

To attract and charm someone while tricking them

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to arrest
vsto catch
2 5.1

To catch and hold someone's attention

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to entrance
vsto catch
  • Literature
2 6.3

To fill someone with wonder and delight

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to enamor
vsto catch
  • US
1 7.0

To make someone feel love and admiration for a person or thing

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
to becharm
vsto catch
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To use magic or nice words to make someone like and obey you

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested
4.4

Make someone notice something

is the general act of making someone notice or stay interested

Antonyms

451 2.1

To make someone stop paying attention to what they are doing or thinking about

50 4.2

Make someone or something move back and stay away, often by using force

Idioms

10 5.0

Difficult to find, stop, or understand

To notice a small smell of something for a short time

5 8.2

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

3 8.9

Using whatever is available and acting without a plan

2 9.9

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

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

2 8.9

To sleep for a short time

1 6.8

Notice someone being careless when they should be paying attention

to catch a body
  • Offensive
1 9.9

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

to catch a wave
  • Informal
1 6.9

To use a rising trend or new interest to grow quickly

1 7.9

To sleep to get some rest

To find someone not ready or not paying attention

1 7.0

Challenge someone to try to reach or pass you

Pause to breathe normally after hard exercise or a shock

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

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

Give something small to get something much bigger later

Phrasal Verbs

509 2.7

To reach the same level as others after falling behind

To reach someone ahead of you, often passing them

to catch up
  • Informal
218 2.3

To talk with someone to share news after not seeing them for a while

Attract someone's attention because it is interesting or noticeable

87 2.6

To start burning suddenly

78 3.9

To begin to understand something after a while

67 2.5

To learn what happened while you were away

55 3.2

To become popular with many people

to catch that
  • Informal
44 3.0

Hear and understand what someone says when it is hard to hear

40 1.0

To become ill with a cold after being cold or near someone sick

To see someone or something for a very short time

Make someone notice you or something

To do work you missed after being away to reach the same level as others

To become sick with a common illness that makes your nose and throat sore

To see something for a short time, usually by chance

To see someone or something suddenly and for a short time

16 3.2

To travel in someone else's car as a passenger

14 6.3

To show someone has made a mistake or done something wrong, often by surprise

Meet someone at a place like a park or station

To get on a bus before it leaves

to catch fire
  • Texting
12 3.7

To become very popular quickly, especially online

8 8.2

To get a lot of blame or punishment for a mistake

to catch wind of
  • Informal
8 5.4

Hear about something from other people before official news

Shine or sparkle when light hits them

to catch it
  • Informal
6 8.3

To be punished or scolded by someone in charge

To use wind power to move something like a boat or windmill

To ride a moving ocean wave on a surfboard

To sit or lie in the sun to feel warm

to catch heat
  • Informal
2 8.3

To get criticism or blame from others for something you did

to catch the sun
  • Specialized
1 3.6

To receive sunlight to make electricity, as solar panels do

To sleep for a short time, often during the day

to catch it from
  • Informal
1 8.7

Get a strong scolding from someone after doing something wrong

1 8.6

Begin to like someone in a romantic way

To surprise someone so they are not ready to react

1 7.9

To jump high into the air while doing a sport or trick

To watch a sports game, often on TV or online

To collect dust when it is not used

Stop yourself quickly from saying or doing something you might regret

6.8

To jump very high in sports like skiing, snowboarding, or skateboarding

9.9

To get into a physical fight with someone

to catch a date
  • Informal
7.5

Manage to meet someone for a romantic time together

to catch a fade
  • Informal
9.9

To get a short haircut with the sides cut very short at a barbershop

To catch a fish called roundeye when fishing

To get a mild illness that feels like the flu

To move at the same speed as another person

To catch and pull many fish into a boat

Compounds

27 3.6

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

Catch-22
  • Informal
21 9.6

A situation where you cannot win because rules block every choice

20 3.5

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

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

3 2.9

Seafood caught recently that is not yet cooked or preserved

catch-up
  • Informal
3 3.3

An informal meeting to share news and updates

2 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

by-catch
  • Specialized
1 8.0

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

1 3.8

Helps someone reach the needed level after falling behind

1 8.6

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

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

catch pen
  • Specialized
1 6.3

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

catch crop
  • Specialized
6.7

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

glottal catch
  • Specialized
9.9

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

How Engaging

to enthrall
5 6.8
to captivate
28 4.2
to engage
39 3.5
to catch
278 2.0
to interest
189 1.0
to attract
936 1.9

Surface Forms

catch infinitive
catching present participle
catches third person singular
caught past
caught past participle

Etymology

Catch is like the word grab, so to catch someone's interest is to grab and hold their attention.