Definition of "catch" in Anglais

noun

1. (countable) The act of seizing or capturing.

   • The catch of the perpetrator was the product of a year of police work.

2. (countable) The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.

   • The player made an impressive catch.
   • Nice catch!

3. (countable) The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.

   • Good catch. I never would have remembered that.

4. (uncountable) The game of catching a ball.

   • The kids love to play catch.

5. (countable) Something which is captured or caught.

   • The fishermen took pictures of their catch.
   • The catch amounted to five tons of swordfish.

6. (countable, colloquial, by extension) A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.

   • Did you see his latest catch?
   • He's a good catch.

7. (countable) A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.

   • She installed a sturdy catch to keep her cabinets closed tight.

8. (countable) A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.

   • There was a catch in his voice when he spoke his father's name.

9. (countable, sometimes noun adjunct) A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.

   • It sounds like a great idea, but what's the catch?
   • Be careful, that's a catch question.

10. (countable) A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.

    • I bent over to see under the table and got a catch in my side.

11. (countable) A fragment of music or poetry.

12. (obsolete) A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush.

13. (countable, agriculture) A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.

14. (obsolete) A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch.

15. (countable, music) A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.

16. (countable, music) The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse.

17. (countable, cricket, baseball) The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out.

18. (countable, cricket) A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well.