Catch vs. Grasp — What's the Difference?

Intercept and hold (something which has been thrown, propelled, or dropped)

A grasp is an act of taking, holding or seizing firmly with (or as if with) the hand. An example of a grasp is the handshake, wherein two people grasp one of each other's like hands.

Capture (a person or animal that tries or would try to escape)

To take hold of or seize firmly with the hand, the foot, another body part, or an instrument

(of an object) accidentally become entangled or trapped in something

To hold with the arms; embrace.

Reach in time and board (a train, bus, or aircraft)

To take hold of intellectually; comprehend.

Engage (a person's interest or imagination)

To make a motion of seizing, snatching, or clutching.

Strike (someone) on a part of the body

To show eager and prompt willingness or acceptance

Contract (an illness) through infection or contagion

The act of grasping.

Become ignited and start burning

A firm hold or grip.

An act of catching something, typically a ball.

An embrace.

A game in which a ball is thrown back and forth between two or more players.

The ability or power to seize or attain; reach

A device for securing something such as a door, window, or box

Understanding; comprehension

A hidden problem or disadvantage in an apparently ideal situation

To grip; to take hold, particularly with the hand.

An unevenness in a person's voice caused by emotion

To understand.

A round, typically one with words arranged to produce a humorous effect.

To take advantage of something, to seize, to jump at a chance.

To get and hold (something that has been in motion) in a hand, the hands, a container, or an implement

Grip.

To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp

Understanding.

To stop (oneself) from doing an action

That which is accessible; that which is within one's reach or ability.

To capture or seize, especially after a chase

To seize and hold by clasping or embracing with the fingers or arms; to catch to take possession of.

To capture or take by trapping, snaring, or some other means

To lay hold of with the mind; to become thoroughly acquainted or conversant with; to comprehend.

To take in and hold or contain

To effect a grasp; to make the motion of grasping; to clutch; to struggle; to strive.

To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally

A gripe or seizure of the hand; a seizure by embrace, or infolding in the arms.

To become cognizant or aware of suddenly

Reach of the arms; hence, the power of seizing and holding; as, it was beyond his grasp.

To reach just in time; get so as to be carried by

Forcible possession; hold.

To overtake

Wide-reaching power of intellect to comprehend subjects and hold them under survey.

To cause to become hooked, entangled, or fastened

The handle of a sword or of an oar.

To hold up; delay

Understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something;

To make contact with; strike

The limit of capability;

To propel an object so that it hits (something)

A firm controlling influence;

To become subject to or to contract, as by exposure to a pathogen

The act of grasping;

To become affected by or infused with

Hold firmly

To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example)

Get the meaning of something;

To perceive suddenly or momentarily

To hear or listen to

To grasp mentally; apprehend

To go to see (a performance, for example)

To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period

To attract and fix; arrest

To reproduce or represent effectively

To deceive

(Baseball) To play (a game) as catcher.

To become held, entangled, or fastened

To act or move so as to hold or grab someone or something

To be communicable or infectious; spread.

To become ignited

(Baseball) To act as catcher.

The act of catching, especially the grabbing and holding of a thrown, kicked, or batted ball before it hits the ground.

A game of throwing and catching a ball.

A quantity that is caught

Something that is perceived or noticed

(Informal) A person considered to be an attractive or admirable romantic partner.

A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback

A device for fastening something or for checking motion

A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice

A snatch; a fragment

(Music) A canonic, often rhythmically intricate composition for three or more voices, popular especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

(countable) The act of seizing or capturing.

(countable) The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.

(countable) The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.

(uncountable) The game of catching a ball.

(countable) Something which is captured or caught.

A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.

(countable) A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.

(countable) A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.

A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.

(countable) A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.

(countable) A fragment of music or poetry.

(obsolete) A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush.

A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.

(obsolete) A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch.

A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.

The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse.

The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out.

A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well.

The first contact of an oar with the water.

A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough.

Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

A slight remembrance; a trace.

(heading) To capture, overtake.

(transitive) To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape).

(transitive) To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive.

To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.

(transitive) To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc.

(transitive) To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for.

(transitive) To unpleasantly discover unexpectedly; to unpleasantly surprise (someone doing something).

(transitive) To travel by means of.

To become pregnant. (Only in past tense or as participle.)

(heading) To seize hold of.

To grab, seize, take hold of.

(transitive) To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep.

(transitive) To grip or entangle.

(intransitive) To be held back or impeded.

(intransitive) To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process.

(transitive) To have something be held back or impeded.

(intransitive) To make a grasping or snatching motion (at).

(transitive) Of fire, to spread or be conveyed to.

To grip (the water) with one's oars at the beginning of the stroke.

To germinate and set down roots.

To contact a wave in such a way that one can ride it back to shore.

To handle an exception.

(heading) To intercept.

(transitive) To seize or intercept an object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium).

To seize (an opportunity) when it occurs.

To end a player's innings by catching a hit ball before the first bounce.

To play (a specific period of time) as the catcher.

(heading) To receive (by being in the way).

(transitive) To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.).

(transitive) To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure.

(transitive) To become infected by (an illness).

(intransitive) To spread by infection or similar means.

To receive or be affected by (wind, water, fire etc.).

(transitive) To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or infection.

(transitive) To be hit by something.

(intransitive) To serve well or poorly for catching, especially for catching fish.

To get pregnant.

(heading) To take in with one's senses or intellect.

(transitive) To grasp mentally: perceive and understand.

To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment).

(transitive) To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully.

(heading) To seize attention, interest.

(transitive) To charm or entrance.

(transitive) To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense).

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.

To seize after pursuing; to arrest; as, to catch a thief.

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

Hence: To insnare; to entangle.

To seize with the senses or the mind; to apprehend; as, to catch a melody.

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

To engage and attach; to please; to charm.

To get possession of; to attain.

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.

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

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

To attain possession.

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.

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

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

Act of seizing; a grasp.

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

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.

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

Something desirable to be caught, esp. a husband or wife in matrimony.

Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

A slight remembrance; a trace.

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

A hidden drawback;

The quantity that was caught;

A person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect

Anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching);

A break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion)

A restraint that checks the motion of something;

A fastener that fastens or locks a door or window

A cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth;

The act of catching an object with the hands;

The act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal);

Discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state;

Perceive with the senses quickly, suddenly, or momentarily;

Reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot;

Take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of;

Succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase;

To hook or entangle;

Attract and fix;

Capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping;

Reach in time;

Get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly;

Catch up with and possibly overtake;

Be struck or affected by;

Check oneself during an action;

Hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers;

See or watch;

Cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled;

Detect a blunder or misstep;

Grasp with the mind or develop an undersatnding of;

Contract;

Start burning;

Perceive by hearing;

Suffer from the receipt of;

Attract; cause to be enamored;

Apprehend and reproduce accurately;

Take in and retain;

Spread or be communicated;

Be the catcher;

Become aware of;

Delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned;