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👀 Noticing ⚾ Playing catcher 🤒 Contagious
catching

catching

3.5
Able to spread from one person to another, like a cold
  • adjective
  • /ˈkæʧɪŋ/
translation icon : contagioso
  • The flu is a highly catching illness that spreads easily in crowded places.

But you know, I, I've always said that cowardice is catching.

Examples

  • How can we all really avoid catching Omicron?

  • We frequently hear that masks are only useful for protecting others from catching COVID from us.

  • Children are often worried about catching colds during the winter months.

  • Practicing good hygiene can help prevent catching contagious diseases.

Synonyms

contagious
vscatching
108 3.1

Something that spreads from one person to another, like a disease or feeling

is the same idea but stated specifically for diseases passed between people
infectious
vscatching
  • Specialized
76 3.9

A disease that can spread from one person to another

emphasizes the general ability to spread in everyday contexts
highly contagious
vscatching
9 3.4

A disease that spreads very easily between people

describes the same spread but without stressing how easily it moves
communicable
vscatching
  • Specialized
9 4.2

Able to pass from one person to another and cause sickness

is the everyday way to describe the same disease transmission
transmissible
vscatching
  • Specialized
3 5.3

Able to pass from one person or animal to another by infection

is the common, simpler expression for the same transfer ability
transmittable
vscatching
2 3.9

Able to pass from one person or animal to another

focuses more narrowly on person-to-person disease spread
contractable
vscatching
  • Specialized
7.1

Able to be caught from another person and make you sick

is a more informal way to say the same transmissibility
contractible
vscatching
  • Specialized
6.5

Easily caught and spread among people or animals

is used more broadly for any disease passed between people
catchable
vscatching
4.7

Easy to get, especially an illness that spreads between people

is the simpler, more common term for that contractible quality
spreadable
vscatching
3.9

Able to pass from one person to another

is typically used when discussing person-to-person disease transmission

Antonyms

noncontagious
1 4.4

Not able to spread from one person to another

Compounds

catching pen
  • Jargon
5.5

A small fenced area for holding animals briefly to sort or check them

How Contagious

epidemic
4.7
infectious
  • Specialized
76 3.9
catching
3.5

Surface Forms

catching positive

Morphology

catching = catch (transparent) = catch + ing

The adjective arises from the present participle of 'catch' meaning 'able to be caught'; learners who know 'catch' in the sense of 'contract (an illness)' can infer 'catching' = contagious.

Etymology

Catching, meaning able to spread from one person to another, comes from the verb catch, which also means to 'get' or 'take' an illness. So if a disease is catching, it can be 'taken' by other people, which is why it means 'contagious'.