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to catch

to catch

374 4.8
To delay someone or make them late
  • verb
  • /kæʧ/
translation icon : 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
562 1.4

To make something happen later than planned

focuses on preventing timely progress and causing schedule disruption
to stall
vsto catch
166 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
90 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
15 5.5

To delay something until a later time

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

Antonyms

417 3.4

To help something move forward or become better

to facilitate
  • Formal
187 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

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

Phrasal Verbs

389 2.7

To reach the same level as others after falling behind

to catch up
  • Informal
166 2.3

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

To reach someone ahead of you, often passing them

90 2.5

To learn what happened while you were away

60 3.2

To become popular with many people

37 3.9

To begin to understand something after a while

To see someone or something for a very short time

32 2.6

To start burning suddenly

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

Make someone notice you or something

Stop yourself quickly from saying or doing something you might regret

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 surprise someone so they are not ready to react

To see someone or something suddenly and for a short time

Meet someone at a place like a park or station

14 3.2

To travel in someone else's car as a passenger

to catch that
  • Informal
11 3.0

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

11 6.3

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

10 1.0

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

To ride a moving ocean wave on a surfboard

To get on a bus before it leaves

Attract someone's attention because it is interesting or noticeable

to catch wind of
  • Informal
7 5.4

Hear about something from other people before official news

5 8.2

To get a lot of blame or punishment for a mistake

to catch fire
  • Texting
5 3.7

To become very popular quickly, especially online

Shine or sparkle when light hits them

to catch it
  • Informal
3 8.3

To be punished or scolded by someone in charge

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

to catch heat
  • Informal
1 8.3

To get criticism or blame from others for something you did

1 8.6

Begin to like someone in a romantic way

1 7.9

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

to catch it from
  • Informal
1 8.7

Get a strong scolding from someone after doing something wrong

to catch a fade
  • Informal
1 9.9

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

To sleep for a short time, often during the day

6.8

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

To collect dust when it is not used

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 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 watch a sports game, often on TV or online

To sit or lie in the sun to feel warm

to catch the sun
  • Specialized
3.6

To receive sunlight to make electricity, as solar panels do

To catch and pull many fish into a boat

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 Delayed

to detain
45 4.4
to catch
374 4.8
to delay
562 1.4
to hold up
90 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.