Here are 30 phrasal verbs with **catch**, along with detailed explanations and examples: 1. **catch up** – **to reach the same level or position as someone or something** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to seize or grasp.” **Extended meaning:** “up” adds the sense of reaching or matching someone else’s progress or position. • _I need to catch up on my work after taking a few days off._ (The speaker is behind and needs to get to the same level as before.) • _He ran faster to catch up with the group._ (He ran faster to reach the group.) 2. **catch on** – **to understand or realize something, often after some time** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to grasp.” **Extended meaning:** “on” adds the sense of gradually understanding something. • _It took me a while to catch on to the new software._ (The speaker needed time to understand how the software works.) • _The trend caught on quickly among teenagers._ (The trend became popular and widely understood.) 3. **catch out** – **to detect someone in a mistake or wrongdoing** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to discover or detect.” **Extended meaning:** “out” adds the sense of exposing or revealing something wrong. • _The teacher caught him out when he tried to cheat on the test._ (The teacher detected his cheating.) • _She was caught out by a tricky interview question._ (She was exposed for not knowing the answer.) 4. **catch up with** – **to meet or reconnect with someone after not seeing them for a while** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to reach.” **Extended meaning:** “up with” adds the sense of meeting someone to exchange updates or reconnect. • _Let’s catch up with each other this weekend._ (The speaker wants to reconnect and share updates.) • _I finally caught up with an old friend from high school._ (The speaker reconnected with a friend.) 5. **catch up on** – **to do something that was missed or delayed** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to reach or recover.” **Extended meaning:** “up on” adds the sense of completing something left unfinished. • _I need to catch up on my sleep after that busy week._ (The speaker needs to rest after a period of exhaustion.) • _She spent the weekend catching up on her reading._ (She made time to read the books she had delayed.) 6. **catch out in** – **to expose someone’s lies or mistakes in a specific situation** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to expose.” **Extended meaning:** “out in” adds the sense of revealing dishonesty in a specific context. • _He was caught out in a lie during the interview._ (He was exposed for lying.) • _The auditor caught them out in several accounting errors._ (The errors were detected by the auditor.) 7. **catch hold of** – **to grab or take hold of something physically** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to grasp.” **Extended meaning:** “hold of” adds the sense of securing something with one’s hands. • _She caught hold of the rope to stop herself from falling._ (She grabbed the rope to prevent a fall.) • _He caught hold of the opportunity to advance his career._ (He took advantage of the opportunity.) 8. **catch out on** – **to be behind or not up to date on something** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to grasp or realize.” **Extended meaning:** “out on” adds the sense of being left behind or not current. • _I was caught out on the latest industry trends._ (The speaker was not up to date with current trends.) • _Don’t get caught out on your homework, stay on top of it._ (The speaker advises keeping up with homework to avoid falling behind.) 9. **catch on to** – **to start to understand something, often slowly** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to grasp.” **Extended meaning:** “on to” adds the sense of gaining understanding over time. • _She finally caught on to the joke after everyone else laughed._ (She understood the joke after a delay.) • _It took him a while, but he eventually caught on to the new system._ (He slowly understood how the system works.) 10. **catch at** – **to try to seize or grab something quickly** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to grasp or seize.” **Extended meaning:** “at” adds the sense of attempting to grab something quickly. • _He caught at her arm to stop her from falling._ (He quickly grabbed her arm to prevent her fall.) • _The child caught at the balloon as it floated away._ (The child tried to grab the balloon.) 11. **catch up in** – **to become involved or absorbed in something** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to be involved.” **Extended meaning:** “up in” adds the sense of being deeply involved or absorbed in something. • _He got caught up in the excitement of the event and lost track of time._ (He became so involved that he forgot the time.) • _She was caught up in the drama at work._ (She became absorbed in the issues happening at work.) 12. **catch fire** – **to start burning suddenly** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to ignite.” **Extended meaning:** “fire” adds the sense of something beginning to burn. • _The old wooden house caught fire quickly._ (The house started burning.) • _Be careful with candles, they can catch fire if left unattended._ (Candles can start burning things around them.) 13. **catch out by** – **to be surprised or exposed by something unexpected** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to detect or expose.” **Extended meaning:** “out by” adds the sense of being surprised or found out by something. • _She was caught out by the sudden change in plans._ (She was surprised by the unexpected change.) • _He was caught out by the difficult exam questions._ (He was unprepared for the challenging questions.) 14. **catch off guard** – **to surprise someone when they are unprepared** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to surprise.” **Extended meaning:** “off guard” adds the sense of taking someone by surprise when they are not ready. • _The announcement caught everyone off guard._ (The announcement surprised everyone.) • _I was caught off guard by her sudden question._ (The speaker was surprised by the unexpected question.) 15. **catch in the act** – **to catch someone while they are doing something wrong** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to detect or discover.” **Extended meaning:** “in the act” adds the sense of witnessing someone committing a wrongdoing. • _The thief was caught in the act by the security cameras._ (The cameras captured the thief while they were stealing.) • _She caught him in the act of cheating on the exam._ (She witnessed him cheating.) 16. **catch sight of** – **to notice or see something briefly** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to notice or perceive.” **Extended meaning:** “sight of” adds the sense of briefly seeing something. • _I caught sight of her as she walked into the building._ (I briefly noticed her.) • _He caught sight of a deer in the distance._ (He saw a deer, but only for a moment.) 17. **catch someone’s eye** – **to attract someone’s attention** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to attract.” **Extended meaning:** “someone’s eye” adds the sense of drawing someone’s attention visually. • _That painting really caught my eye in the gallery._ (The painting attracted my attention.) • _Her bright dress caught everyone’s eye at the party._ (The dress attracted attention.) 18. **catch wind of** – **to hear or learn about something, especially gossip or rumors** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to notice.” **Extended meaning:** “wind of” adds the sense of hearing or learning about something indirectly. • _She caught wind of the news before it was officially announced._ (She heard the news through rumors.) • _He caught wind of the office gossip._ (He became aware of the gossip.) 19. **catch one’s breath** – **to pause to rest or recover from physical exertion** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to recover.” **Extended meaning:** “one’s breath” adds the sense of regaining breath after exertion. • _After running up the stairs, I had to stop and catch my breath._ (The speaker needed to pause and recover.) • _He took a moment to catch his breath after the intense workout._ (He paused to regain his breath.) 20. **catch up to** – **to reach someone or something that is ahead** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to reach.” **Extended meaning:** “up to” adds the sense of matching someone’s position or progress. • _It took her an hour to catch up to the other runners._ (She reached the runners who were ahead of her.) • _The company is trying to catch up to its competitors._ (The company is trying to reach the same level as its competitors.) 21. **catch cold** – **to become ill with a cold** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to contract.” **Extended meaning:** “cold” adds the sense of catching an illness. • _I think I caught a cold from being out in the rain._ (The speaker believes they got sick from being wet in the rain.) • _He catches a cold every winter._ (He becomes ill with a cold frequently during the winter.) 22. **catch off balance** – **to surprise or unsettle someone, causing them to lose stability** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to surprise.” **Extended meaning:** “off balance” adds the sense of making someone lose their composure or stability. • _The sudden question caught me off balance._ (The question surprised and unsettled me.) • _The unexpected feedback caught him off balance._ (He was unprepared for the feedback.) 23. **catch hold of** – **to grab or seize something quickly** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to grab.” **Extended meaning:** “hold of” adds the sense of quickly grabbing or seizing something. • _She caught hold of the railing to stop herself from falling._ (She grabbed the railing quickly.) • _He caught hold of the ball just in time._ (He grabbed the ball before it fell.) 24. **catch one’s death** – **to become very ill from exposure to cold** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to contract.” **Extended meaning:** “one’s death” adds the sense of becoming extremely sick from the cold. • _Put on a coat or you’ll catch your death out there!_ (The speaker warns of the risk of getting very ill.) • _He was afraid he’d catch his death after being soaked in the rain._ (He feared getting seriously ill.) 25. **catch at straws** – **to make a desperate attempt to find a solution or explanation** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to attempt.” **Extended meaning:** “at straws” adds the sense of making weak or unlikely attempts. • _He was just catching at straws, hoping for any solution._ (He was trying anything, even unlikely solutions.) • _The lawyer’s argument was weak, just catching at straws._ (The argument was desperate and unlikely to succeed.) 26. **catch up with** – **to deal with the consequences of something later** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to catch or apprehend.” **Extended meaning:** “up with” adds the sense of facing consequences that were delayed. • _His past mistakes finally caught up with him._ (He had to deal with the consequences of his actions.) • _The bad decisions caught up with the company and caused financial trouble._ (The company had to face the results of bad decisions.) 27. **catch sight of** – **to briefly notice or see something** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to perceive.” **Extended meaning:** “sight of” adds the sense of noticing something visually, but briefly. • _I caught sight of her in the crowd before she disappeared._ (I briefly saw her.) • _He caught sight of a fox running through the field._ (He briefly saw the fox.) 28. **catch a glimpse of** – **to see something for a very brief moment** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to perceive.” **Extended meaning:** “a glimpse of” adds the sense of a very brief look. • _I caught a glimpse of the actor as he left the theater._ (I briefly saw the actor.) • _She caught a glimpse of the sunset before the clouds rolled in._ (She briefly saw the sunset.) 29. **catch one’s eye** – **to attract someone’s visual attention** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to attract.” **Extended meaning:** “one’s eye” adds the sense of drawing someone’s visual focus. • _That bright red dress really caught my eye._ (The dress attracted my attention.) • _The new design caught everyone’s eye in the office._ (The design was visually striking and attracted attention.) 30. **catch wind of** – **to hear or learn about something through rumors** **Base meaning:** “catch” means “to become aware of.” **Extended meaning:** “wind of” adds the sense of hearing about something indirectly. • _She caught wind of the upcoming layoffs through office gossip._ (She learned about the layoffs from rumors.) • _He caught wind of the changes in policy before they were officially announced._ (He heard about the policy changes from unofficial sources.) These 30 phrasal verbs with **catch** offer a range of meanings, from literal actions like physically grabbing something to figurative meanings such as understanding, perceiving, or learning something. The explanations and examples provide clarity on how to use them in various contexts.