If you catch a person or animal, you capture them after chasing them, or by using a trap, net, or other device.

If you catch an object that is moving through the air, you seize it with your hands.

If you catch a part of someone's body, you take or seize it with your hand, often in order to stop them going somewhere.

If one thing catches another, it hits it accidentally or manages to hit it.

If something catches on or in an object or if an object catches something, it accidentally becomes attached to the object or stuck in it.

When you catch a bus, train, or plane, you get on it in order to travel somewhere.

If you catch someone doing something wrong, you see or find them doing it.

If you catch yourself doing something, especially something surprising, you suddenly become aware that you are doing it.

If you catch something or catch a glimpse of it, you notice it or manage to see it briefly.

If you catch something that someone has said, you manage to hear it.

If you catch a TV or radio programme or an event, you manage to see or listen to it.

If you catch someone, you manage to contact or meet them to talk to them, especially when they are just about to go somewhere else.

If something or someone catches you by surprise or at a bad time, you were not expecting them or do not feel able to deal with them.

If something catches your attention or your eye, you notice it or become interested in it.

If someone or something catches a mood or an atmosphere, they successfully represent it or reflect it.

If you are caught in a storm or other unpleasant situation, it happens when you cannot avoid its effects.

If you are caught between two alternatives or two people, you do not know which one to choose or follow.

If you catch a cold or a disease, you become ill with it.

To catch liquids or small pieces that fall from somewhere means to collect them in a container.

If something catches the light or if the light catches it, it reflects the light and looks bright or shiny.

If the wind or water catches something, it carries or pushes it along.

A catch on a window, door, or container is a device that fastens it.

A catch is a hidden problem or difficulty in a plan or an offer that seems surprisingly good.

When people have been fishing, their catch is the total number of fish that they have caught.

If you describe someone as a good catch, you mean that they have lots of good qualities and you think their partner or employer is very lucky to have found them.

Catch is a game in which children throw a ball to each other.

Catch is a game in which one child chases other children and tries to touch or catch one of them.

You can say things such as 'You wouldn't catch me doing that' to emphasize that you would never do a particular thing.

If someone is caught with their pants down, something happens that they are not prepared for and that reveals something embarrassing or shocking about them. In British English, you can also say that they are caught with their trousers down .