to catch
- verb
- /kæʧ/
- I got caught in traffic on my way to the meeting, making me late.
- get caught
Similarly, if you are caught in a traffic jam, you cannot move.
- Similarly, if you are caught in a traffic jam, you cannot move.
Examples
-
-Quick, before they catch us.
-
- We're gonna catch traffic on the way Hollywood, then we're all screwed.
-
I'm not too good at algebra, but I think I might be able to help him catch up.
-
I've got a plane to catch.
-
The company has made giant strides, but has not yet caught up with its toughest competitors.
Academic text (2011) -
Delilah hurried out the door to catch up to the men carrying the pine box.
Fiction book (1991) -
The vocational track opens more career avenues for unskilled labor to catch up with high-skilled labor.
Academic text (1992) -
She caught me off guard when she asked for a raise unexpectedly.
-
Don't let distractions catch you from finishing your assignment on time.
Synonyms
To make something happen later than planned
To delay doing something on purpose to get more time
To cause a delay in plans or progress
To delay something until a later time
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To become very sick from being outside in the cold, often said as a warning
- Offensive
To find a dead person, often during police work or as slang for killing someone
- Informal
To not pay attention and miss what is happening around you, for example because you are daydreaming
- Informal
Notice someone being careless when they should be paying attention
Give something small to get something much bigger later
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- Specialized
A player signals and catches a punt without running and cannot be tackled
- Specialized
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
- Specialized
A small fenced area that holds animals like sheep or cattle for a short time
- Specialized
A quick sound made by briefly closing and opening the vocal cords before a vowel
- Jargon
A baseball play where an outfielder runs and grabs a ball very close to the ground
How Delayed
Surface Forms
Etymology
Catch can mean to hold someone back, as the original idea of 'seizing' became used for things that stop you, so being caught in a line delays you.