catch

1. v. t. To lay hold on; to seize, especially with the hand; to grasp (anything) in motion, with the effect of holding; as, to catch a ball. Source: opted

2. v. t. To seize after pursuing; to arrest; as, to catch a thief. Source: opted

3. v. t. To take captive, as in a snare or net, or on a hook; as, to catch a bird or fish. Source: opted

4. v. t. Hence: To insnare; to entangle. Source: opted

5. v. t. To seize with the senses or the mind; to apprehend; as, to catch a melody. Source: opted

6. v. t. To communicate to; to fasten upon; as, the fire caught the adjoining building. Source: opted

7. v. t. To engage and attach; to please; to charm. Source: opted

8. v. t. To get possession of; to attain. Source: opted

9. v. t. To take or receive; esp. to take by sympathy, contagion, infection, or exposure; as, to catch the spirit of an occasion; to catch the measles or smallpox; to catch cold; the house caught fire. Source: opted

10. v. t. To come upon unexpectedly or by surprise; to find; as, to catch one in the act of stealing. Source: opted

11. v. t. To reach in time; to come up with; as, to catch a train. Source: opted

12. v. i. To attain possession. Source: opted

13. v. i. To be held or impeded by entanglement or a light obstruction; as, a kite catches in a tree; a door catches so as not to open. Source: opted

14. v. i. To take hold; as, the bolt does not catch. Source: opted

15. v. i. To spread by, or as by, infecting; to communicate. Source: opted

16. n. Act of seizing; a grasp. Source: opted

17. n. That by which anything is caught or temporarily fastened; as, the catch of a gate. Source: opted

18. n. The posture of seizing; a state of preparation to lay hold of, or of watching he opportunity to seize; as, to lie on the catch. Source: opted

19. n. That which is caught or taken; profit; gain; especially, the whole quantity caught or taken at one time; as, a good catch of fish. Source: opted

20. n. Something desirable to be caught, esp. a husband or wife in matrimony. Source: opted

21. n. Passing opportunities seized; snatches. Source: opted

22. n. A slight remembrance; a trace. Source: opted

23. n. A humorous canon or round, so contrived that the singers catch up each other's words. Source: opted

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