"catching" in the noun sense
1. catching
baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
2. detection, catching, espial, spying, spotting
the act of detecting something catching sight of something
3. catching, contracting
becoming infected
"catching cold is sometimes unavoidable"
"the contracting of a serious illness can be financially catastrophic"
"catching" in the verb sense
1. catch
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"
2. catch, pick up
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"
3. get, catch
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"
4. catch, grab, take hold of
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
"Catch the ball!"
"Grab the elevator door!"
5. get, catch, capture
succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase
"We finally got the suspect"
"Did you catch the thief?"
6. hitch, catch
to hook or entangle
"One foot caught in the stirrup"
7. catch, arrest, get
attract and fix
"His look caught her"
"She caught his eye"
"Catch the attention of the waiter"
8. capture, catch
capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping
"I caught a rabbit in the trap today"
9. catch
reach in time
"I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock"
10. catch
get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly
"Catch some sleep"
"catch one's breath"
11. overtake, catch, catch up with
catch up with and possibly overtake
"The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp"
12. catch
be struck or affected by
"catch fire"
"catch the mood"
13. catch
check oneself during an action
"She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind"
14. catch, take in, overhear
hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers
"We overheard the conversation at the next table"
15. watch, view, see, catch, take in
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"
16. catch
cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled
"I caught the hem of my dress in the brambles"
17. trip up, catch
detect a blunder or misstep
"The reporter tripped up the senator"
18. catch, get
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"
19. catch
contract
"did you catch a cold?"
20. catch
start burning
"The fire caught"
21. catch, get
perceive by hearing
"I didn't catch your name"
"She didn't get his name when they met the first time"
22. catch, get
suffer from the receipt of
"She will catch hell for this behavior!"
23. capture, enamour, trance, catch, becharm, enamor, captivate, beguile, charm, fascinate, bewitch, entrance, enchant
attract cause to be enamored
"She captured all the men's hearts"
24. catch, get
apprehend and reproduce accurately
"She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings"
"She got the mood just right in her photographs"
25. catch
take in and retain
"We have a big barrel to catch the rainwater"
26. catch
spread or be communicated
"The fashion did not catch"
27. catch
be the catcher
"Who is catching?"
28. catch
become aware of
"he caught her staring out the window"
29. catch
delay or hold up prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned
"I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting"
"catching" in the adjective sense
1. catching, communicable, contagious, contractable, transmissible, transmittable
of disease) capable of being transmitted by infection
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
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