What does “catch” mean?
- 1
verbto take hold of something that is moving through the air
He caught the ball with one hand.
- 2
verbto get on a bus, train or plane before it leaves
I need to catch the 8:15 train.
- 3
verbto get an illness from someone or something
I think I’ve caught a cold.
Catch at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /kætʃ/ · KACH
- Forms
- caught, caught
How to use “catch” correctly
The past form is irregular: “catch, caught, caught”, never “catched”.
Common phrases with “catch”
- catch a bus
- catch a cold
- catch fire
- catch up with
Idioms with “catch”
- Catch someone red-handed: Discover someone at the moment they are doing something wrong.
“catch” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- act verbA2to do something, especially to deal with a situation
- allow verbA2to give someone permission to do something
- become verbA2to begin to be something
- carry verbA2to hold something and take it with you from one place to another
- continue verbA2to keep doing something or keep happening without stopping
- cover verbA2to put something over something else to protect or hide it
- create verbA2to make something new exist
- develop verbA2to grow or change into something bigger, stronger or more advanced