catch (k ch, k ch)v. caught (kôt), catch·ing, catch·es v.tr. 1. To capture or seize, especially after a chase. 2. To take by or as if by trapping or snaring. 3. a. To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally: He was caught in the act of stealing. b. To become cognizant or aware of suddenly: caught her gazing out the window. 4. a. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp: caught me by the arm; caught the reins. b. To grab so as to stop the motion of: catch a ball. 5. a. To overtake: The green car caught me on the straightaway. b. To reach just in time; take: caught the bus to town; catch a wave. 6. a. To hold, as by snagging or entangling. b. To cause to become suddenly or accidentally hooked, entangled, or fastened: caught my hem on the stair. c. To hold up; delay: was caught in traffic for an hour. 7. To hit; strike: a punch that caught me in the stomach. 8. To check (oneself) during an action: I caught myself before replying. 9. To become subject to or to contract, as by exposure to a pathogen: catch a cold. 10. a. To become affected by or infused with: caught the joyous mood of the festival. b. To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example): caught hell for being late. 11. a. To take or get suddenly, momentarily, or quickly: We caught a glimpse of the monarch. b. To hear or listen to: caught the news bulletin on the radio; didn't catch the end of your sentence 12. a. To grasp mentally; apprehend: I don't catch your meaning. b. To apprehend and reproduce accurately by or as if by artistic means: an impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings. 13. To attract and fix; arrest: couldn't catch their attention; caught the teacher's eye. 14. To charm; captivate. 15. To deceive: failed to be caught by their fraudulent schemes. 16. a. Informal To go to see (a performance, for example): caught the midnight show. b. To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period: catch some sleep. v.intr. 1. To become held, entangled, or fastened: My coat caught in the car door. 2. To act or move so as to hold or grab someone or something: tried to catch at the life preserver. 3. To be communicable or infectious; spread. 4. To ignite: The fire caught. 5. Baseball To act as catcher. n. Phrasal Verbs: 1. The act of catching; a taking and holding. 2. Something that catches, especially a device for fastening or for checking motion. 3. a. Something caught: The mistake you found was a good catch. b. Informal One that is worth having, especially an attractive or admirable marital partner. 4. Sports a. The grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground. b. A game of throwing and catching a ball. 5. A quantity that is caught: The catch amounted to 50 fish. 6. A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice. 7. A stop or break in the operation of a mechanism. 8. A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback: It sounds like a good offer, but there may be a catch. 9. A snatch; a fragment. 10. Music A canonic, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. catch on 1. To understand; perceive. 2. To become popular: Skateboarding caught on quickly. catch out To detect (another) in wrongdoing or error. catch up Idioms: 1. To move fast enough to attain the same progress as another; draw even: caught up to the leader on the last lap of the race. 2. To become equal or on a par with another: finally caught up with his brother in height. 3. To bring an activity to completion or to a state of currentness: catch up on correspondence. 4. To bring (another) up to date; brief: Let me catch you up on all the gossip. 5. To seize or lift suddenly: The wind caught up the umbrella and carried it off. 6. a. To involve, often unwillingly: was caught up in the scandal. b. To captivate; enthrall: I was caught up in the mood of the evening. catch fire 1. To ignite. 2. To become very enthusiastic. 3. To become the subject of great interest and widespread enthusiasm: an idea that caught fire all over the country. catch it Informal To receive a punishment or scolding. catch (one's) breath To rest so as to be able to continue an activity. catch up with 1. To find or arrest after a period of pursuit: The police finally caught up with him in Omaha. 2. To have unpleasant consequences for, especially after a period of quiesence: mistakes that caught up with him when he ran for President. catch you later Informal Used to express good-bye. [Middle English cacchen, from Old North French cachier, to chase, from Latin capt  re, frequentative of capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]catch  a·ble adj.Synonyms: catch, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, snare1, tangle1, trap1 These verbs mean to take in and hold as if by using bait or a lure: caught in a web of lies; enmeshed in the neighbors' dispute; ensnared an unsuspecting customer; became entangled in her own contradictions; entrapped by a convincing undercover agent; snared by false hopes; tangled by his own duplicity; trapped into incriminating himself. |
catch up
vb (adverb)
1. (tr) to seize and take up (something) quickly
2. (when intr, often foll by with) to reach or pass (someone or something), after following he soon caught him up
3. (intr; usually foll by on or with) to make up for lost ground or deal with a backlog (in some specified task or activity)
4. (tr; often passive) to absorb or involve she was caught up in her reading
5. (tr) to raise by or as if by fastening the hem of her dress was caught up with ribbons
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Verb | 1. | catch up - reach the point where one should be after a delay; "I caught up on my homework" come back - even the score, in sports |
| 2. | catch up - learn belatedly; find out about something after it happened; "I'm trying to catch up with the latest developments in molecular biology" |
Translations
? catch up
vi → aufholen; to catch up on one’s sleep → Schlaf nachholen; to catch up on or with one’s work → Arbeit nachholen; to catch up with somebody (running, in work etc) → jdn einholen; hurry, they’re catching up! → beeil dich, sie holen auf!; you’ve got a lot of catching up to do → du musst noch eine Menge nachholen
vt sep
(= snatch up) → (vom Boden) hochheben; hair → hochstecken; she caught up her skirts → sie raffte or schürzte ihre Röcke
to get caught up in something (= entangled) → sich in etw (dat) → verheddern or verfangen; in traffic → in etw (acc) → kommen; in discussion → in etw (acc) → verwickelt werden
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