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Glite Dictionary
to catch big air

to catch big air

6.8
To jump very high in sports like skiing, snowboarding, or skateboarding
  • phrasal verb
  • Jargon
translation icon : lograr gran altura
  • During the competition, she managed to catch big air on the halfpipe and impress the judges.

Examples

  • Many snowboarders dream of catching big air at famous mountain resorts.

  • If you want to catch big air, you need to build up plenty of speed before the jump.

  • Wow! He really caught big air there!

  • He can catch big air on his snowboard.

  • During the competition, she managed to catch big air on the halfpipe and impress the judges.

  • If you want to catch big air, you need to build up plenty of speed before the jump.

  • He can catch big air while snowboarding down steep slopes.

Synonyms

to catch air
vsto catch big air
1 7.9

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

aims for much greater height, emphasizing a notably big airborne lift
to ski jump
vsto catch big air
  • UK
1 3.7

To jump off a ramp while moving on skis

is broader and used across board sports focusing on much higher jumps

Antonyms

to fall short
64 3.9

Fail to reach the level people expect

low
22 1.0

To a position close to the ground

How High

to soar
97 1.8
to catch big air
  • Jargon
6.8
to catch air
1 7.9
to jump
∞ 1.0
to hop
133 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

catch + big + air

The parts 'catch' (get), 'big' (large) and 'air' (space above the ground) together do suggest 'get a lot of air', so a learner who knows the words could infer the general idea of becoming airborne. However, 'catch air' is a sports colloquial collocation and the verb-particle-like use is somewhat metaphorical and register-specific, so the exact sporting sense and naturalness are not fully predictable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase catch big air comes from skateboarding and snowboarding, where riders go off a ramp and seem to catch a lot of air. That image is why the phrase means 'to jump very high' or 'to achieve a lot of height'.