CATCH ON (TO) Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

catch on (to)

verb

Definition of catch on (to)

as in to realize

to come to an awareness of she caught on to the fact that they were planning a surprise party

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to know

to have a clear idea of he finally caught on to the concept of phototaxis

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch on (to)

Verb

Brian Schottenheimer wasn’t quite defeated at his press conference last Monday after the 23-13 loss to Green Bay, but the head coach realized how low the morale was around the building.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Ruffalo said as the crowd, realizing who was speaking, started cheering loudly.

— Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of realize

Verb

The prince didn’t have any luck in blocking Kelce, which comes as little surprise given the Chiefs star knows how to avoid defensive players.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
Anyone who has worked at a fast-growing company at the edge of technology knows that obligations, circumstances and products change daily.

— Daniel Kjellén, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of know

Verb

Some of the movie’s most memorable moments have barely anything to do with the plot, like when Matt discovers his eyelids fusing together and attempts to separate them with nail scissors in the bathroom of a bumpy plane.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Some way off Moss discovers a bag with $2 million in cash and takes it.

— Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of discover

Verb

Weiss-Wolf’s advice emphasizes understanding your options and advocating for better health care, while recognizing that disclosing symptoms or requesting an accommodation can carry risks.

— Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 21 Oct. 2026
Reynolds understood how to sell the new pen, too, with advertisements promising an avant-garde writing utensil, capable of enduring long stretches of writing with no need to replenish the ink.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of understand

Verb

The attacks, which saw 1,195 people killed and 251 taken into Gaza as hostages, triggered a major security crisis that led to three years of war on multiple fronts.

— Yarden Segev, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
The offense had a healthy-enough balance with the run game (more on that in a bit) to involve multiple pass-catchers, and the trio of leading receivers saw the immediate benefits.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of see

Verb

Bahdanau was working with artificial neural networks, which had already shown promise in pattern-recognition tasks such as deciphering handwriting and identifying objects in photos.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of decipher

Verb

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a case about the role race plays in middle school admissions, three years after a majority on the high court struck down affirmative action in college.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
Trying to exonerate herself, Erin lays out this confusing defense about how her makeup guy heard about Sai’s divorce at a beauty event.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of hear

Verb

Only in this case, the vaccine’s mRNA teaches immune cells to recognize key features of an individual’s cancer rather than a virus.

— Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Their point was to maintain an environment where work could be conducted safely without disruption while recognizing the rights of all individuals.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of recognize

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

catch one's eye

catch on (to)

catchpenny

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Style

“Catch on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of catch on (to)

verb

Example Sentences

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