the act of forming something; "the constitution of a PTA group last year"; "it was the establishment of his reputation"; "he still remembers the organization of the club"
United States 44-gun frigate that was one of the first three naval ships built by the United States; it won brilliant victories over British frigates during the War of 1812 and is without doubt the most famous ship in the history of the United States Navy; it has been rebuilt and is anchored in the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston
inspiring fear; "the formidable prospect of major surgery"; "a tougher and more redoubtable adversary than the heel-clicking, jackbooted fanatic"- G.H.Johnston; "something unnerving and prisonlike about high grey wall"
extremely impressive in strength or excellence; "a formidable opponent"; "the challenge was formidable"; "had a formidable array of compositions to his credit"; "the formidable army of brains at the Prime Minister's disposal"
causing surprise or wonder or amazement; "the report shows a surprising lack of hard factual data"; "leaped up with surprising agility"; "she earned a surprising amount of money"
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 circularity that has a different center or deviates from a circular path
(geometry) a ratio describing the shape of a conic section; the ratio of the distance between the foci to the length of the major axis; "a circle is an ellipse with zero eccentricity"
so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm; "such an enormous response was astonishing"; "an astounding achievement"; "the amount of money required was staggering"; "suffered a staggering defeat"; "the figure inside the boucle dress was stupefying"