caught
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
An inflected form of catch · inflected form.
How often you will meet it
Rank 543 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 35,841 times across 175,112 chapters — 0.017% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
verb
- discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state She caught her son eating candyShe was caught shoplifting
- perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily also: pick up I caught the aroma of coffeeHe caught the allusion in her glance
- reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot also: get the rock caught her in the back of the headThe blow got him in the back
- take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of also: grab, take hold of Catch the ball!Grab the elevator door!
- succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase also: get, capture We finally got the suspectDid you catch the thief?
- to hook or entangle also: hitch One foot caught in the stirrup
caught in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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The Blue-grass man's attention was caught by the names.
The Heart of the Hills · John, Jr. Fox · Chapter 1
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John caught a murmur: "The old Demon and I would get along capitally."
The Hill: A Romance of Friendship · Horace Annesley Vachell · Chapter 1
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In the ungrazed pastures swaths of dead stuff caught their feet, and the ground beneath glistened with sweat.
Actions and reactions · Rudyard Kipling · Chapter 1
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He would go to the second level and with an oxygen helmet would reach possible air before he was caught.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
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In the black shade of the Varnum spruces he caught up with her and she turned with a quick “Oh!”
Ethan Frome · Edith Wharton · Chapter 1