Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Catch \Catch\, n.
   1. Act of seizing; a grasp. --Sir P. Sidney.

   2. That by which anything is caught or temporarily fastened;
      as, the catch of a gate.

   3. The posture of seizing; a state of preparation to lay hold
      of, or of watching he opportunity to seize; as, to lie on
      the catch. [Archaic] --Addison.

            The common and the canon law . . . lie at catch, and
            wait advantages one againt another.   --T. Fuller.

   4. That which is caught or taken; profit; gain; especially,
      the whole quantity caught or taken at one time; as, a good
      catch of fish.

            Hector shall have a great catch if he knock out
            either of your brains.                --Shak.

   5. Something desirable to be caught, esp. a husband or wife
      in matrimony. [Colloq.] --Marryat.

   6. pl. Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

            It has been writ by catches with many intervals.
                                                  --Locke.

   7. A slight remembrance; a trace.

            We retain a catch of those pretty stories.
                                                  --Glanvill.

   8. (Mus.) A humorous canon or round, so contrived that the
      singers catch up each other's words.

Catch \Catch\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Caught}or {Catched}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Catching}. Catched is rarely used.] [OE. cacchen,
   OF. cachier, dialectic form of chacier to hunt, F. chasser,
   fr. (assumend) LL. captiare, for L. capture, V. intens. of
   capere to take, catch. See {Capacious}, and cf. {Chase},
   {Case} a box.]
   1. To lay hold on; to seize, especially with the hand; to
      grasp (anything) in motion, with the effect of holding;
      as, to catch a ball.

   2. To seize after pursuing; to arrest; as, to catch a thief.
      ``They pursued . . . and caught him.'' --Judg. i. 6.

   3. To take captive, as in a snare or net, or on a hook; as,
      to catch a bird or fish.

   4. Hence: To insnare; to entangle. ``To catch him in his
      words''. --Mark xii. 13.

   5. To seize with the senses or the mind; to apprehend; as, to
      catch a melody. ``Fiery thoughts . . . whereof I catch the
      issue.'' --Tennyson.

   6. To communicate to; to fasten upon; as, the fire caught the
      adjoining building.

   7. To engage and attach; to please; to charm.

            The soothing arts that catch the fair. --Dryden.

   8. To get possession of; to attain.

            Torment myself to catch the English throne. --Shak.

   9. To take or receive; esp. to take by sympathy, contagion,
      infection, or exposure; as, to catch the spirit of an
      occasion; to catch the measles or smallpox; to catch cold;
      the house caught fire.

   10. To come upon unexpectedly or by surprise; to find; as, to
       catch one in the act of stealing.

   11. To reach in time; to come up with; as, to catch a train.

   {To catch fire}, to become inflamed or ignited.

   {to catch it} to get a scolding or beating; to suffer
      punishment. [Colloq.]

   {To catch one's eye}, to interrupt captiously while speaking.
      [Colloq.] ``You catch me up so very short.'' --Dickens.

   {To catch up}, to snatch; to take up suddenly.

Catch \Catch\, v. i.
   1. To attain possession. [Obs.]

            Have is have, however men do catch.   --Shak.

   2. To be held or impeded by entanglement or a light
      obstruction; as, a kite catches in a tree; a door catches
      so as not to open.

   3. To take hold; as, the bolt does not catch.

   4. To spread by, or as by, infecting; to communicate.

            Does the sedition catch from man to man? --Addison.

   {To catch at}, to attempt to seize; to be eager to get or
      use. ``[To] catch at all opportunities of subverting the
      state.'' --Addison.

   {To catch up with}, to come up with; to overtake.

Source : WordNet®

catch
     v 1: 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"
     2: 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" [syn: {pick up}]
     3: reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot; "the rock
        caught her in the back of the head"; "The blow got him in
        the back"; "The punch caught him in the stomach" [syn: {get}]
     4: take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion
        of; "Catch the ball!"; "Grab the elevator door!" [syn: {grab},
         {take hold of}]
     5: succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase;
        "We finally got the suspect"; "Did you catch the thief?"
        [syn: {get}, {capture}]
     6: to hook or entangle; "One foot caught in the stirrup" [syn:
        {hitch}] [ant: {unhitch}]
     7: attract and fix; "His look caught her"; "She caught his
        eye"; "Catch the attention of the waiter" [syn: {arrest},
        {get}]
     8: capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping; "I caught a
        rabbit in the trap toady" [syn: {capture}]
     9: reach in time; "I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock"
     10: get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or
         briefly; "Catch some sleep"; "catch one's breath"
     11: catch up with and possibly overtake; "The Rolls Royce caught
         us near the exit ramp" [syn: {overtake}, {catch up with}]
     12: be struck or affected by; "catch fire"; "catch the mood"
     13: check oneself during an action; "She managed to catch
         herself before telling her boss what was on her mind"
     14: hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers; "We
         overheard the conversation at the next table" [syn: {take
         in}, {overhear}]
     15: see or watch; "view a show on television"; "This program
         will be seen all over the world"; "view an exhibition";
         "Catch a show on Broadway"; "see a movie" [syn: {watch},
         {view}, {see}, {take in}]
     16: cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared,
         or entangled; "I caught the hem of my dress in the
         brambles"
     17: detect a blunder or misstep; "The reporter tripped up the
         senator" [syn: {trip up}]
     18: grasp with the mind or develop an undersatnding 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"
         [syn: {get}]
     19: contract; "did you catch a cold?"
     20: start burning; "The fire caught"
     21: perceive by hearing; "I didn't catch your name"; "She didn't
         get his name when they met the first time" [syn: {get}]
     22: suffer from the receipt of; "She will catch hell for this
         behavior!" [syn: {get}]
     23: attract; cause to be enamored; "She captured all the men's
         hearts" [syn: {capture}, {enamour}, {trance}, {becharm},
         {enamor}, {captivate}, {beguile}, {charm}, {fascinate}, {bewitch},
          {entrance}, {enchant}]
     24: apprehend and reproduce accurately; "She really caught the
         spirit of the place in her drawings"; "She got the mood
         just right in her photographs" [syn: {get}]
     25: take in and retain; "We have a big barrel to catch the
         rainwater"
     26: spread or be communicated; "The fashion did not catch"
     27: be the catcher; "Who is catching?"
     28: become aware of; "he caught her staring out the window"
     29: delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as
         planned; "I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting"
     [also: {caught}]

catch
     n 1: a hidden drawback; "it sounds good but what's the catch?"
     2: the quantity that was caught; "the catch was only 10 fish"
        [syn: {haul}]
     3: a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect [syn: {match}]
     4: anything that is caught (especially if it is worth
        catching); "he shared his catch with the others"
     5: a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong
        emotion)
     6: a restraint that checks the motion of something; "he used a
        book as a stop to hold the door open" [syn: {stop}]
     7: a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window
     8: a cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth;
        "he played catch with his son in the backyard"
     9: 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" [syn: {grab}, {snatch}, {snap}]
     10: the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a
         criminal); "the policeman on the beat got credit for the
         collar" [syn: {apprehension}, {arrest}, {collar}, {pinch},
          {taking into custody}]
     [also: {caught}]