What does catch mean?

What does catch mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does catch mean? - The Free Dictionary

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[n] a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident(it sounds good but what's the catch?)[v] discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state(She caught her son eating candy She was caught shoplifting)[n] the quantity

catch

catch - The Free Dictionary

[n] a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident
(it sounds good but what's the catch?)

[v] discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
(She caught her son eating candy She was caught shoplifting)

[n] the quantity that was caught
(the catch was only 10 fish)

[v] perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily
(I caught the aroma of coffee He caught the allusion in her glance ears open to catch every sound The dog picked up the scent Catch a glimpse)

[n] a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect

[v] reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot
(the rock caught her in the back of the head The blow got him in the back The punch caught him in the stomach)

[n] anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching)
(he shared his catch with the others)

[v] take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
(Catch the ball! Grab the elevator door!)

[n] a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion)

[v] succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase
(We finally got the suspect Did you catch the thief?)

[n] a restraint that checks the motion of something
(he used a book as a stop to hold the door open)

[v] to hook or entangle
(One foot caught in the stirrup)

[n] a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window

[v] attract and fix
(His look caught her She caught his eye Catch the attention of the waiter)

[n] a cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth
(he played catch with his son in the backyard)

[v] capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping
(I caught a rabbit in the trap today)

[n] the act of catching an object with the hands
(Mays made the catch with his back to the plate he made a grab for the ball before it landed Martin's snatch at the bridle failed and the horse raced away the infielder's snap and throw was a single motion)

[v] reach in time
(I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock)

[n] the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal)
(the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar)

[v] get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly
(Catch some sleep catch one's breath)

[v] catch up with and possibly overtake
(The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp)

[v] be struck or affected by
(catch fire catch the mood)

[v] check oneself during an action
(She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind)

[v] hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
(We overheard the conversation at the next table)

[v] see or watch
(view a show on television This program will be seen all over the world view an exhibition Catch a show on Broadway see a movie)

[v] cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled
(I caught the hem of my dress in the brambles)

[v] detect a blunder or misstep
(The reporter tripped up the senator)

[v] grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of
(did you catch that allusion? We caught something of his theory in the lecture don't catch your meaning did you get it? She didn't get the joke I just don't get him)

[v] contract
(did you catch a cold?)

[v] start burning
(The fire caught)

[v] perceive by hearing
(I didn't catch your name She didn't get his name when they met the first time)

[v] suffer from the receipt of
(She will catch hell for this behavior!)

[v] attract; cause to be enamored
(She captured all the men's hearts)

[v] apprehend and reproduce accurately
(She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings She got the mood just right in her photographs)

[v] take in and retain
(We have a big barrel to catch the rainwater)

[v] spread or be communicated
(The fashion did not catch)

[v] be the catcher
(Who is catching?)

[v] become aware of
(he caught her staring out the window)

[v] delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned
(I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting)

Other vocabulary

c, c and w, c battery, c clef, c compiler, c horizon, c major, c major scale, c program, c-clamp, c-horizon, c-note, c-ration, c-reactive protein, c-section, c. d. gibson, c. diphtheriae, c. h. best, c. k. ogden, c. northcote parkinson, c. p. snow, c. psittaci, c. s. forester, c. s. lewis, c. trachomatis, c. vann woodward, c. w. post, c.e., c.o.d., c.p.u., a, a battery, a bit, a capella singing, a cappella, a cappella singing, a couple of, a few, a fortiori, a good deal, a great deal, a horizon, a hundred times, a kempis, a la carte, a la mode, a level, a little, a lot, a million times, a posteriori, a priori, a trifle, a'man, a-bomb, a-horizon, a-line, a-list, a-ok, a-okay

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.