english
1
general::
catch up
DO SOMETHING
2. to do something you did not have time to do earlier
• She's staying late at the office to catch up with/on some reports., catch sb out
[ M ] informal SHOW WRONG
1. to show that someone is doing wrong
• I suspected he wasn't telling me the truth, and one day I caught him out when I found some letters he'd written., catch up with sb
PUNISH
2. If someone in authority catches up with you, they discover that you have been doing something wrong and often punish you for it
• They had been selling stolen cars for years before the police caught up with them., catch sb out
[ M ] informal CAUSE DIFFICULTY
3. to put someone in a difficult situation
• A lot of people were caught out by the sudden change in the weather., catch on
BECOME POPULAR
1. to become fashionable or popular
• I wonder if the game will ever catch on with young people?, catch on
UNDERSTAND
2. informal to understand, especially after a long time
• He doesn't take hints very easily, but he'll catch on ( to what you're saying) eventually., catch up with sb
CAUSE PROBLEMS
1. If something bad that you have done or that has been happening to you catches up with you, it begins to cause problems for you
• His lies will catch up with him one day., catch sb out
[ M ] informal TRICK
2. to trick someone into making a mistake
• The examiner will try to catch you out, so stay calm and think carefully before you speak., catch up
REACH SAME STANDARD
1. to reach the same quality or standard as someone or something else
• Will Western industry ever catch up with Japanese innovations?
• He was off school for a while and is finding it hard to catch up., catch up
DISCUSS
3. to learn or discuss the latest news
• Let's go for a coffee - I need to catch up on all the gossip., catch (sb) up
to reach someone in front of you by going faster than them
• I ran after her and managed to catch up with her.
• UK: Go on to the shops without me, I'll catch you up.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
verb
capture:
Police try to catch criminals.
verb
incur:
She will catch a cold in this cold.
Simple Definitions
3
general::
Phrase(s): catch someone doing something
Go to catch someone at something., Phrase(s): catch something
Fig. to see or listen to something. • I will try to catch that new movie this weekend. • Did you catch that radio program about cancer last night?
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
4
general::
In addition to the idioms beginning with CATCH, Also see EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM; GET (CATCH) THE DRIFT; TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE (A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF). Also see under CAUGHT.
American Heritage Idioms
5
general::
noun act of catching sth ADJ. brilliant, clean, easy, fine, good, nice VERB + CATCH take Roger took some brilliant catches at today's match. | drop, miss number of fish that sb has caught ADJ. big, bumper, good, huge, large, record Fishermen have been landing record catches this season. | poor VERB + CATCH land, make CATCH + VERB decline, fall Catches fell because of the new dam. | go up, increase PREP. ~ of a bumper catch of tuna PHRASES the day's catch a restaurant where you can sample the day's catch device for fastening sth ADJ. door, window | safety the safety catch on a gun VERB + CATCH slip (off), undo, unfasten, unlock Fran slipped the catch on the door, then turned to say goodbye. | close
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
6
general::
catch
to stop someone who is trying to escape, especially by running after them and then holding them:
• He raced after her, but he couldn’t catch her. • The police caught the bank robbers after a car chase through the city.
arrest
if the police arrest someone, they take him or her to a police station because they think that person has done something illegal:
• Wayne was arrested for dangerous driving. • The police arrested him and charged him with murder.
apprehend
formal if the police apprehend someone they think has done something illegal, they catch him or her:
• The two men were later apprehended after they robbed another store. • The killers were never apprehended. • All of the kidnappers were apprehended and convicted.
capture
to catch an enemy or a criminal in order to keep them as a prisoner:
• The French king was captured by the English at the battle of Poitiers in 1356. • The gunmen were finally captured after a shoot-out with the police.
take somebody prisoner
to catch someone, especially in a war, in order to keep them as a prisoner:
• 350 soldiers were killed and another 300 taken prisoner. • Ellison was taken prisoner by the Germans during the retreat to Dunkirk.
trap
to make someone go to a place from which they cannot escape, especially by using your skill and intelligence:
• Police trapped the man inside a bar on the city’s southside.
corner
to force someone into a place from which they cannot escape:
• He was cornered outside the school by three gang members.
Longman-Thesaurus