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# catch

«catch» in Mova's school dictionary: **to take and hold something that moves, like a ball or a fish** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (catch, catches, caught, catching); noun (a catch, catches)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To catch is to take and hold something that moves, like a ball or a fish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#m1)

2) To catch is to get on a bus or train in time. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#m2)

3) To catch an illness is to get it from someone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#m3)

4) To catch is to see or find someone doing something: «I caught him eating sweets». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#m4)

5) A catch is a hidden problem, or the fish caught. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#m5)

6) To catch a word or a sound means to hear or understand it, especially when it is quick or quiet. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

things caught are added; also catching up in a race; phrases «catch up», «catch a cold», «catch a bus», «catch your breath», «catch fire», «what's the catch?»

### examples

- He caught 5 fish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x1)
- She catches 3 balls out of 10. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x2)
- They caught 12 fish and let 4 go. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x3)
- How long until the bus catches up? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x4)
- Catch the ball with both hands! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x5)
- We ran to catch the bus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x6)
- Wash your hands so you don't catch a cold. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x7)
- Paper can catch fire easily. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x8)
- The offer was free, but there was a catch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x9)
- Let me catch my breath after running. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x10)
- Anon he caught the word Peter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/#x11)

### note

Catching adds to what is held. Trap: «catch up» is a distance or speed comparison: time = gap ÷ difference of speeds. Past form «caught», not «catched». «Out of 10» names a whole.

### In the corpora

- [Morning sickness usually gets better after about three or four months, and it is not catching.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/18-were-having-a-baby/12/)
- [An annual check-up is a routine visit to catch problems early, even when you feel fine.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/20-the-doctor-and-the-chemist/17/)
- [Dentists check teeth every six months to a year to catch small problems, like holes, before they hurt.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/22-sore-backs-glasses-and-feeling-low/11/)
- [Being glad for someone's success without hunting for a catch is part of being a good neighbour.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/42-our-street-feuds-newcomers-and-stories-that-grow/19/)
- [Tools that claim to catch AI make mistakes too, and scammers can now fake a whole video call.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/22-news-jobs-art-safety/4/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «catch» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catch/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.