1
as in infectious
capable of being passed by physical contact from one person to another
a cold is often catching before the symptoms even begin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spreading
exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others
a catching smile that instantly puts patients at ease
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in grabbing
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
we tried to catch the kitten before she could sneak out the door
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in getting
to become affected with (a disease or disorder)
you'll catch the flu for sure if you don't get a shot
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stopping
to bring (something) to a standstill
I caught myself just as I was about to step into the freshly poured concrete
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in securing
to put securely in place or in a desired position
caught back her hair with a barrette
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in knowing
to have a clear idea of
I didn't catch the point you were making about our nation's foreign policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in tricking
to cause to believe what is untrue
a number of media outlets were caught by the woman's hard-luck story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in encountering
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
I'll catch you at the library tomorrow
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in noticing
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes
I looked out the window just in time to catch the neighbor's dog digging up my flower bed
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9
as in chasing
to move fast enough to get even with
despite the suspect's considerable lead, the fleet-footed police officer was able to catch him and make an arrest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of catching
Shayna Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2026
He’s worn special catching gear to celebrate his heritage.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2026
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 May 2026
Still, his injury didn't get in the way of his performance or from catching the attention of his future wife at the age of 17.
—Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for catching
Adjective
The team also caught a break as far as their catching depth with veteran Eric Haase clearing waivers and starting for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats on Wednesday.
—Shayna Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2026
He’s worn special catching gear to celebrate his heritage.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
For once, Rue seems to be catching a bit of a break.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 May 2026
Still, his injury didn't get in the way of his performance or from catching the attention of his future wife at the age of 17.
—Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for catching
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catching
Adjective
-
Travolta’s infectious enthusiasm carried over into the movie itself, a semi-autobiographical trifle about his childhood love of air travel.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
His humor, and especially his laugh, was infectious.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The driver who picked up the goods told FT that grabbing items in the location takes roughly five minutes, while the same trip to a Walmart Supercenter store could take 25 minutes.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
-
The Limitless Lash Mascara is especially worth grabbing while it’s marked down.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
This housing push doesn’t have to do with the construction of new housing as much as getting tenants in the door, which might seem like an odd issue to have in a city with as acute of a housing demand as New York.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Short but sweet Jacksonville took advantage of perhaps the most famous offseason haircut with quarterback Trevor Lawrence getting his long locks cut short on camera after introducing the Jaguars’ schedule that then plays out on the screen edited down to less than 2 minutes.—
Teresa M. Walker,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Those unable to swim two lengths of the pool without stopping should have a parent remain close enough to reach them.—
Laura Berrios,
AJC.com,
19 May 2026
-
The storm never fully fired, and Lisius and George eventually made their way back to Arlington, stopping for tacos along the way.—
Emily Holshouser
May 19,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The savings outlined in the SEC filings, and the high importance securing them played in executives’ compensation for the year, shows the benefit to Uber’s shareholders and executives from reforming insurance laws nationwide.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
13 May 2026
-
While the initiative has drawn some criticism, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the strategy is not aimed at securing full-season rights packages for any sports league.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Still, the answer to treating PMOS isn’t just patients knowing what to look for and what to do, experts say.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
-
The two have since built an unspoken connection, each knowing when the other is feeling especially bogged down by the conflict.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Anchoring, scarcity and choice architecture aren’t about tricking people.—
David Meade,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
The church hosts sure love tricking us into eating raw broccoli by serving it up in this creamy pasta salad.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
In the very rare instances of direct danger, like encountering a particularly nasty beast with huge scythe claws, getting hit only leads to the screen fading out and Yoshi reappearing at the start of the stage.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
19 May 2026
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Investigators also believe Brown assaulted a postal worker with a rock on Plasters Avenue before encountering Paige.—
CBS News Atlanta Staff,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catching. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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