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Glite Dictionary
to catch that

to catch that

11 3.0
Hear and understand what someone says when it is hard to hear
  • phrasal verb
  • /kæʧ ðæt/
  • Informal
translation icon : entender
  • I didn't catch that last part.
  • I didn't catch that!
  • happen to catch that
  • gonna catch that

Examples

  • Did you catch that line about the 'six-week strawberry season'?

    Blog text (25)

  • I didn't quite catch that.

    Lightyear (2022)

  • But please hear me, you, you catch that part right?

  • But you have to catch that and get back into that.

  • And if you just catch that point before you make a choice, you will know, you will know what the right choice is.

  • I sure do hope the police catch that man.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I know you're in a hurry to catch that train.

    The Front Page (1974)

  • I caught that, but I think you're reading too far into it.

    Blog text (7)

  • Chris, out of all the posters, you're the only one who caught that.

    Blog text (24)

  • Did you catch that explanation about the new project requirements?

Synonyms

to get
vsto catch that
∞ 1.4

To understand what someone says or an idea

is specifically about hearing and understanding words spoken unclearly
to get it
vsto catch that
  • Informal
877 1.1

To understand something after someone explains it

is understood immediately when first heard despite unclear speech
to pick up on
vsto catch that
142 3.9

To notice something that is not obvious

focuses on understanding spoken words directly rather than inferring hints
to apprehend
vsto catch that
  • Formal
9 4.3

To understand the meaning of something

is about hearing and understanding speech even when unclear or muffled
to get the drift
vsto catch that
  • Informal
4 4.5

To understand the main idea without knowing every detail

aims at hearing and understanding words rather than just the main idea

Antonyms

to misunderstand
53 1.8

To think something is true when it is not

How Understood

to understand
∞ 1.0
to follow
560 1.4
to catch that
  • Informal
11 3.0
to hear
∞ 1.0
to miss
518 1.7

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

catch + that

The meaning 'to hear and understand that' is directly derivable from 'catch' (to notice/understand) plus the demonstrative 'that' referring to the utterance, so the overall sense is a simple compositional combination. This verb + pronoun pattern is common in English and has clear parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to interpret it.

Etymology

Catch that comes from the simple image of catch like catching a thrown ball: words or ideas fly past quickly, and if you catch that you grab the meaning before it is gone. That's why it means 'to hear and understand' what someone says.