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Catch vs. Grasp — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Catch and Grasp

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Definitions

Catch

Intercept and hold (something which has been thrown, propelled, or dropped)
She threw the bottle into the air and caught it again

Grasp

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.

Catch

Capture (a person or animal that tries or would try to escape)
We hadn't caught a single rabbit

Grasp

To take hold of or seize firmly with the hand, the foot, another body part, or an instrument
The elephant grasped the branch with its trunk.

Catch

(of an object) accidentally become entangled or trapped in something
A button caught in her hair
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Grasp

To hold with the arms; embrace.

Catch

Reach in time and board (a train, bus, or aircraft)
They caught the 12.15 from Oxford

Grasp

To take hold of intellectually; comprehend.

Catch

Engage (a person's interest or imagination)
It was the business scheme that had caught his imagination

Grasp

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

Strike (someone) on a part of the body
Ben caught him on the chin with an uppercut

Grasp

To show eager and prompt willingness or acceptance
Grasps at any opportunity.

Catch

Contract (an illness) through infection or contagion
He served in Macedonia, where he caught malaria

Grasp

The act of grasping.

Catch

Become ignited and start burning
The rafters have caught

Grasp

A firm hold or grip.

Catch

An act of catching something, typically a ball.

Grasp

An embrace.

Catch

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

Grasp

The ability or power to seize or attain; reach
Victory in the election was within her grasp.

Catch

A device for securing something such as a door, window, or box
The window catch was rusty

Grasp

Understanding; comprehension
"only a vague intuitive grasp of the meaning of greatness in literature" (Gilbert Highet).

Catch

A hidden problem or disadvantage in an apparently ideal situation
There's a catch in it somewhere

Grasp

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

Catch

An unevenness in a person's voice caused by emotion
There was a catch in Anne's voice

Grasp

To understand.
I have never been able to grasp the concept of infinity.

Catch

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

Grasp

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

Catch

To get and hold (something that has been in motion) in a hand, the hands, a container, or an implement
Caught the ball in the web of the lacrosse stick.

Grasp

Grip.

Catch

To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp
Caught me by the arm.
Caught the reins.

Grasp

Understanding.

Catch

To stop (oneself) from doing an action
I caught myself before replying.

Grasp

That which is accessible; that which is within one's reach or ability.
The goal is within my grasp.

Catch

To capture or seize, especially after a chase
The police caught the robber in the next town.

Grasp

To seize and hold by clasping or embracing with the fingers or arms; to catch to take possession of.
Thy hand is made to grasp a palmer's staff.

Catch

To capture or take by trapping, snaring, or some other means
I caught three fish with that lure.

Grasp

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

Catch

To take in and hold or contain
A pond that catches runoff.

Grasp

To effect a grasp; to make the motion of grasping; to clutch; to struggle; to strive.
As one that grasped And tugged for life and was by strength subdued.

Catch

To discover or come upon suddenly, unexpectedly, or accidentally
He was caught in the act of stealing.

Grasp

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

Catch

To become cognizant or aware of suddenly
Caught her gazing out the window.

Grasp

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

Catch

To reach just in time; get so as to be carried by
Caught the bus to town.
Catch a wave.

Grasp

Forcible possession; hold.
The whole space that's in the tyrant's grasp.

Catch

To overtake
The driver of the green car caught the leader on the straightaway.

Grasp

Wide-reaching power of intellect to comprehend subjects and hold them under survey.
The foremost minds of the next . . . era were not, in power of grasp, equal to their predecessors.

Catch

To cause to become hooked, entangled, or fastened
Caught my hem on the stair.

Grasp

The handle of a sword or of an oar.

Catch

To hold up; delay
Was caught in traffic for an hour.

Grasp

Understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something;
He has a good grasp of accounting practices

Catch

To make contact with; strike
The boxer caught his opponent with a left hook.

Grasp

The limit of capability;
Within the compass of education

Catch

To propel an object so that it hits (something)
The center caught the back of the net with a hard shot.

Grasp

A firm controlling influence;
They kept a firm grip on the two top priorities
He was in the grip of a powerful emotion
A terrible power had her in its grasp

Catch

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

Grasp

The act of grasping;
He released his clasp on my arm
He has a strong grip for an old man
She kept a firm hold on the railing

Catch

To become affected by or infused with
Caught the joyous mood of the festival.

Grasp

Hold firmly

Catch

To suffer from the receipt of (criticism, for example)
Caught hell for being late.

Grasp

Get the meaning of something;
Do you comprehend the meaning of this letter?

Catch

To perceive suddenly or momentarily
We caught a glimpse of the movie star. I caught a whiff of her perfume.

Catch

To hear or listen to
Caught the news bulletin on the radio.
Didn't catch the end of your sentence.

Catch

To grasp mentally; apprehend
I don't catch your meaning.

Catch

To go to see (a performance, for example)
Caught the midnight show.

Catch

To get (something required), usually quickly or for a brief period
Catch some sleep.

Catch

To attract and fix; arrest
Couldn't catch their attention.
Caught the teacher's eye.

Catch

To reproduce or represent effectively
An impressionist who caught the effects of wind and water in his paintings.

Catch

To deceive
Failed to be caught by their fraudulent schemes.

Catch

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

Catch

To become held, entangled, or fastened
My coat caught in the car door.

Catch

To act or move so as to hold or grab someone or something
Tried to catch at the life preserver.

Catch

To be communicable or infectious; spread.

Catch

To become ignited
The fire caught.

Catch

(Baseball) To act as catcher.

Catch

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

Catch

A game of throwing and catching a ball.

Catch

A quantity that is caught
The catch amounted to 50 fish.

Catch

Something that is perceived or noticed
The mistake you found was a good catch.

Catch

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

Catch

A tricky or previously unsuspected condition or drawback
It sounds like a good offer, but there may be a catch.

Catch

A device for fastening something or for checking motion
The car's hood has a safety catch.

Catch

A choking or stoppage of the breath or voice
A catch in his voice.

Catch

A snatch; a fragment
Could only hear catches of the song.

Catch

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

Catch

(countable) The act of seizing or capturing.
The catch of the perpetrator was the product of a year of police work.

Catch

(countable) The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.
The player made an impressive catch.
Nice catch!

Catch

(countable) The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.
Good catch. I never would have remembered that.

Catch

(uncountable) The game of catching a ball.
The kids love to play catch.

Catch

(countable) Something which is captured or caught.
The fishermen took pictures of their catch.
The catch amounted to five tons of swordfish.

Catch

A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.
Did you see his latest catch?
He's a good catch.

Catch

(countable) A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.
She installed a sturdy catch to keep her cabinets closed tight.

Catch

(countable) A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.
There was a catch in his voice when he spoke his father's name.

Catch

A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.
It sounds like a great idea, but what's the catch?
Be careful, that's a catch question.

Catch

(countable) A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.
I bent over to see under the table and got a catch in my side.

Catch

(countable) A fragment of music or poetry.

Catch

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

Catch

A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

The first contact of an oar with the water.

Catch

A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough.

Catch

Passing opportunities seized; snatches.

Catch

A slight remembrance; a trace.

Catch

(heading) To capture, overtake.

Catch

(transitive) To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape).
I hope I catch a fish.
He ran but we caught him at the exit.
The police caught the robber at a nearby casino.

Catch

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

Catch

To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.

Catch

(transitive) To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc.
If he catches you on the chin, you'll be on the mat.

Catch

(transitive) To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for.
If you leave now you might catch him.
I would love to have dinner but I have to catch a plane.

Catch

(transitive) To unpleasantly discover unexpectedly; to unpleasantly surprise (someone doing something).
He was caught on video robbing the bank.
He was caught in the act of stealing a biscuit.

Catch

(transitive) To travel by means of.
Catch the bus

Catch

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

Catch

(heading) To seize hold of.

Catch

To grab, seize, take hold of.
I caught her by the arm and turned her to face me.

Catch

(transitive) To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep.
I have to stop for a moment and catch my breath
I caught some Z's on the train.

Catch

(transitive) To grip or entangle.
My leg was caught in a tree-root.

Catch

(intransitive) To be held back or impeded.
Be careful your dress doesn't catch on that knob.
His voice caught when he came to his father's name.

Catch

(intransitive) To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process.
Push it in until it catches.
The engine finally caught and roared to life.

Catch

(transitive) To have something be held back or impeded.
I caught my heel on the threshold.

Catch

(intransitive) To make a grasping or snatching motion (at).
He caught at the railing as he fell.

Catch

(transitive) Of fire, to spread or be conveyed to.
The fire spread slowly until it caught the eaves of the barn.

Catch

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

Catch

To germinate and set down roots.
The seeds caught and grew.

Catch

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

Catch

To handle an exception.
When the program catches an exception, this is recorded in the log file.

Catch

(heading) To intercept.

Catch

(transitive) To seize or intercept an object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium).
I will throw you the ball, and you catch it.
Watch me catch this raisin in my mouth.

Catch

To seize (an opportunity) when it occurs.

Catch

To end a player's innings by catching a hit ball before the first bounce.
Townsend hit 29 before he was caught by Wilson.

Catch

To play (a specific period of time) as the catcher.
He caught the last three innings.

Catch

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

Catch

(transitive) To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.).
You're going to catch a beating if they find out.

Catch

(transitive) To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure.
The sunlight caught the leaves and the trees turned to gold.
Her hair was caught by the light breeze.

Catch

(transitive) To become infected by (an illness).
Everyone seems to be catching the flu this week.

Catch

(intransitive) To spread by infection or similar means.

Catch

To receive or be affected by (wind, water, fire etc.).
The bucket catches water from the downspout.
The trees caught quickly in the dry wind.

Catch

(transitive) To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or infection.
She finally caught the mood of the occasion.
And the next thing I knew, I had caught feelings for her.

Catch

(transitive) To be hit by something.
He caught a bullet in the back of the head last year.

Catch

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

Catch

To get pregnant.
Well, if you didn't catch this time, we'll have more fun trying again until you do.

Catch

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

Catch

(transitive) To grasp mentally: perceive and understand.
Did you catch his name?
Did you catch the way she looked at him?

Catch

To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment).
I have some free time tonight so I think I'll catch a movie.

Catch

(transitive) To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully.
You've really caught his determination in this sketch.

Catch

(heading) To seize attention, interest.

Catch

(transitive) To charm or entrance.

Catch

(transitive) To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense).
He managed to catch her attention.
The enormous scarf did catch my eye.

Catch

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.

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

Hence: To insnare; to entangle.

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

To engage and attach; to please; to charm.
The soothing arts that catch the fair.

Catch

To get possession of; to attain.
Torment myself to catch the English throne.

Catch

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.

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

To attain possession.
Have is have, however men do catch.

Catch

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.

Catch

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

Catch

To spread by, or as by, infecting; to communicate.
Does the sedition catch from man to man?

Catch

Act of seizing; a grasp.

Catch

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

Catch

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

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

Catch

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

Catch

Passing opportunities seized; snatches.
It has been writ by catches with many intervals.

Catch

A slight remembrance; a trace.
We retain a catch of those pretty stories.

Catch

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

Catch

A hidden drawback;
It sounds good but what's the catch?

Catch

The quantity that was caught;
The catch was only 10 fish

Catch

A person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect

Catch

Anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching);
He shared his catch with the others

Catch

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

Catch

A restraint that checks the motion of something;
He used a book as a stop to hold the door open

Catch

A fastener that fastens or locks a door or window

Catch

A cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth;
He played catch with his son in the backyard

Catch

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

Catch

The act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal);
The policeman on the beat got credit for the collar

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

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

Catch

Take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of;
Catch the ball!
Grab the elevator door!

Catch

Succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase;
We finally got the suspect
Did you catch the thief?

Catch

To hook or entangle;
One foot caught in the stirrup

Catch

Attract and fix;
His look caught her
She caught his eye
Catch the attention of the waiter

Catch

Capture as if by hunting, snaring, or trapping;
I caught a rabbit in the trap toady

Catch

Reach in time;
I have to catch a train at 7 o'clock

Catch

Get or regain something necessary, usually quickly or briefly;
Catch some sleep
Catch one's breath

Catch

Catch up with and possibly overtake;
The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp

Catch

Be struck or affected by;
Catch fire
Catch the mood

Catch

Check oneself during an action;
She managed to catch herself before telling her boss what was on her mind

Catch

Hear, usually without the knowledge of the speakers;
We overheard the conversation at the next table

Catch

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

Catch

Cause to become accidentally or suddenly caught, ensnared, or entangled;
I caught the hem of my dress in the brambles

Catch

Detect a blunder or misstep;
The reporter tripped up the senator

Catch

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

Catch

Contract;
Did you catch a cold?

Catch

Start burning;
The fire caught

Catch

Perceive by hearing;
I didn't catch your name
She didn't get his name when they met the first time

Catch

Suffer from the receipt of;
She will catch hell for this behavior!

Catch

Attract; cause to be enamored;
She captured all the men's hearts

Catch

Apprehend and reproduce accurately;
She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings
She got the mood just right in her photographs

Catch

Take in and retain;
We have a big barrel to catch the rainwater

Catch

Spread or be communicated;
The fashion did not catch

Catch

Be the catcher;
Who is catching?

Catch

Become aware of;
He caught her staring out the window

Catch

Delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned;
I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting

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