to catch someone's attention
38
2.8
- phrasal verb
- She always knows how to catch the audience's attention with her engaging stories.
Examples
-
The vibrant colors of the painting caught my attention as soon as I entered the room.
-
I needed help but was not able to catch anyone's attention.
Academic text (2002) -
On February 10, 2006, a bit of relevant news caught my attention.
Academic text (2006) -
Toward the end of the journal, I came across an entry that caught my attention.
Fiction book (1991) -
The single room, not the entire building, catches the reader's attention for a moment.
Academic text (2003) -
We hope we can raise enough money to catch Mr. Spencer's attention.
-
Something white on the sideboard caught her attention, a piece of paper.
Fiction book (1993) -
Reflecting on our conversations, he carved a few figures that immediately caught my attention.
Academic text (2010) -
Suddenly, Will stops; he's heard something on the screen that has caught his attention.
Fiction book (1996) -
A shiny gleam in the gravel caught my attention, and I knelt to see what it was.
Fiction book (1993)
Synonyms
∞
4.1
To attract someone's attention or interest
936
1.9
Make people notice or want something
278
2.0
To get someone's attention or interest
189
1.0
To make someone want to know more about something
152
2.5
To make people notice something or someone
103
2.7
Attract someone's attention because it is interesting or noticeable
75
3.0
To attract and hold someone's interest or affection
69
1.6
To get someone's attention suddenly and strongly
56
3.6
Attract people or attention
52
2.9
To make people notice something important
51
3.4
To attract and hold someone's strong interest or attention
28
4.2
To attract and hold someone's full attention
24
4.7
To make someone want to know more
23
3.2
To attract and keep people's interest
23
3.3
Make someone notice something quickly and feel interested
22
6.1
To hold someone's full attention because something is very interesting or surprising
16
3.0
To get noticed and make people interested
12
3.8
Grab and hold someone's attention suddenly and strongly
12
8.2
To strongly attract or excite someone
10
3.9
To make people look at or listen to you
6
6.4
To hold someone's full attention as if by magic
2
3.8
To make someone feel curious about something and want to know more
1
6.7
Make an audience like you and pay close attention
1
4.9
Make people notice you because they admire or are surprised by you
Make someone notice something
Antonyms
How Noticeable
23
3.3
23
3.2
38
2.8
152
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to attract someone's notice' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'catch' (to draw or grab) with 'attention' (notice or mental focus), and the possessive 'someone's' only marks whose attention is targeted. This compositional pattern (catch/grab/attract + attention) is common across languages and follows straightforward metaphorical extension, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Catch someone's attention paints a simple picture: to catch is to grab something that is moving and attention is a person's look or focus, so something bright or sudden can 'catch' a person's eyes. That's why the phrase means 'to attract someone's notice or interest'.