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to catch

to catch

103 4.8
To delay someone or make them late
  • verb
  • /kæʧ/
: retrasar
  • 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.

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 delay
vsto catch
442 1.4

To make something happen later than planned

focuses on preventing timely progress and causing schedule disruption
to stall
vsto catch
218 4.3

To delay doing something on purpose to get more time

is about blocking planned movement rather than merely buying time
to hold up
vsto catch
161 2.8

To cause a delay in plans or progress

is about disrupting planned schedules and causing lateness rather than only slowing movement
to defer
vsto catch
  • Formal
68 5.5

To delay something until a later time

is about causing people to be late or stopped, not scheduling later

Antonyms

382 3.4

To help something move forward or become better

to facilitate
  • Formal
168 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

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 Delayed

to detain
14 4.4
to catch
103 4.8
to delay
442 1.4
to hold up
161 2.8

Surface Forms

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

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.