the act of catching an object with the hands; "Mays made the catch with his back to the plate"; "he made a grab for the ball before it landed"; "Martin's snatch at the bridle failed and the horse raced away"; "the infielder's snap and throw was a single motion"
a cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth; "he played catch with his son in the backyard"
a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window
a restraint that checks the motion of something; "he used a book as a stop to hold the door open"
a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident; "it sounds good but what's the catch?"
a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion)
anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching); "he shared his catch with the others"
a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect
the quantity that was caught; "the catch was only 10 fish"
contract; "did you catch a cold?"
delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned; "I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting"
be struck or affected by; "catch fire"; "catch the mood"
grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; "did you catch that allusion?"; "We caught something of his theory in the lecture"; "don't catch your meaning"; "did you get it?"; "She didn't get the joke"; "I just don't get him"
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state; "She caught her son eating candy"; "She was caught shoplifting"
become aware of; "he caught her staring out the window"
be the catcher; "Who is catching?"
cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled; "I caught the hem of my dress in the brambles"
spread or be communicated; "The fashion did not catch"
take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of; "Catch the ball!"; "Grab the elevator door!"
take in and retain; "We have a big barrel to catch the rainwater"
attract and fix; "His look caught her"; "She caught his eye"; "Catch the attention of the waiter"
apprehend and reproduce accurately; "She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings"; "She got the mood just right in her photographs"
reach in time; "I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock"
suffer from the receipt of; "She will catch hell for this behavior!"
perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily; "I caught the aroma of coffee"; "He caught the allusion in her glance"; "ears open to catch every sound"; "The dog picked up the scent"; "Catch a glimpse"
hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers; "We overheard the conversation at the next table"
perceive by hearing; "I didn't catch your name"; "She didn't get his name when they met the first time"
get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly; "Catch some sleep"; "catch one's breath"
check oneself during an action; "She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind"
a raised horizontal surface; "the speaker mounted the platform"
any military structure or vehicle bearing weapons
the combination of a particular computer and a particular operating system
a document stating the aims and principles of a political party; "their candidate simply ignored the party platform"; "they won the election even though they offered no positive program"
administer or bestow, as in small portions; "administer critical remarks to everyone present"; "dole out some money"; "shell out pocket money for the children"; "deal a blow to someone"
make available; "The publisher wants to distribute the book in Asia"
be mathematically distributive
be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses; "Values distribute"
spread throughout a given area; "the function distributes the values evenly"
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly); "sailing is her favorite pastime"; "his main pastime is gambling"; "he counts reading among his interests"; "they criticized the boy for his limited pursuits"
(football) a kick in which the football is dropped from the hands and kicked before it touches the ground; "the punt traveled 50 yards"; "punting is an important part of the game"
an open flat-bottomed boat used in shallow waters and propelled by a long pole
propel with a pole; "pole barges on the river"; "We went punting in Cambridge"
an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"
a feature (or the order or arrangement of features) of anything having a complex structure; "the contours of the melody"; "it defines a major contour of this administration"
a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something; "He verified that the valves were closed"; "See that the curtains are closed"; "control the quality of the product"
deem to be; "She views this quite differently from me"; "I consider her to be shallow"; "I don't see the situation quite as negatively as you do"
deliberate or decide; "See whether you can come tomorrow"; "let's see--which movie should we see tonight?"
match or meet; "I saw the bet of one of my fellow players"
receive as a specified guest; "the doctor will see you now"; "The minister doesn't see anybody before noon"
accompany or escort; "I'll see you to the door"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight; "You have to be a good observer to see all the details"; "Can you see the bird in that tree?"; "He is blind--he cannot see"
see and understand, have a good eye; "The artist must first learn to see"
observe as if with an eye; "The camera saw the burglary and recorded it"
go to see for professional or business reasons; "You should see a lawyer"; "We had to see a psychiatrist"
go to see for a social visit; "I went to see my friend Mary the other day"
primary social group; parents and children; "he wanted to have a good job before starting a family"
people descended from a common ancestor; "his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower"
a social unit living together; "he moved his family to Virginia"; "It was a good Christian household"; "I waited until the whole house was asleep"; "the teacher asked how many people made up his home"
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera; "sharks belong to the fish family"
an association of people who share common beliefs or activities; "the message was addressed not just to employees but to every member of the company family"; "the church welcomed new members into its fellowship"