catch

CEFRA2

/kat͡ʃ/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
verb
To stop and hold something moving through the air.
02
verb
To notice, understand, or discover something.

Examples

She managed to catch the keys as they fell.
You have to study hard to catch up with your class.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 2
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 5

Also pronounced

/kɛt͡ʃ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

A hidden problem or condition in an agreement.
The act of seizing or capturing.
The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.

More examples

In context

You will not be able to catch the train.
The catch of the perpetrator was the product of a year of police work.
The player made an impressive catch.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

When the ball flew toward him, he tried to blank it with his hands.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

"In that case," said Jeff, "I just thought of something else we need." He walked over to one of the stations that was selling household goods and bought a can opener. "Nice catch," said Lucy.
2008, John I. Carney, Soapstone, page 74
In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.
1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page 266
"'Fair Enslaver!'" cried Mr. Enderby. "You must know 'Fair Enslaver:' there is not a sweeter catch than that. Come, Miss Ibbotson, begin; your sister will follow, and I—" But it so happened that Miss Ibbotson had never heard 'Fair Enslaver.'
1872, Harriet Martineau, Deerbrook, page 90
There was a good catch of rye and a good fall growth.
1905, Eighth Biennial Report of the Board of Horticulture of the State of Oregon, page 204
Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch / You taught me but while-ere?
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]

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Origin

verb

From Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-Norman cachier, variant of Old French chacier, from Late Latin captiāre, from Latin captāre, frequentative of capere. Akin to Modern French chasser (from Old French chacier) and Spanish cazar, and thus a doublet of chase. Compare ketch. Via PIE cognate with have. Displaced Middle English fangen ("to catch"; > Modern English fang (verb)), from Old English fōn (“to seize, take”); Middle English lacchen ("to catch" and heavily displaced Modern English latch), from Old English læċċan. The verb became irregular, possibly under the influence of the semantically similar latch (from Old English læċċan), whose past tense was lahte, lauhte, laught (Old English...