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

caught on (to)

verb

past tense of catch on (to)

as in realized

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 understood

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 caught on (to)

Verb

It was also realized that having festive crowds enjoying the sight of a someone being killed was unseemly, exposing the base instincts that lie within us.

— Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Investors in closed-end funds that use municipal bonds still get monthly tax-free income, but what's distributed can come from a combination of interest payments, realized capital gains from the sale of underlying holdings and return of capital.

— Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of realized

Verb

Filling in because of an injury, Tucker, a freshman, has discovered the importance of getting the ball to Davis, who has 11 touchdown receptions.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Kriemler first discovered Jungwirth’s paintings at Thaddaeus Ropac about five years ago, traveling expressly to Bilbao, Spain, two years ago just to catch the big Jungwirth retrospective at the Guggenheim there.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of discovered

Verb

The state’s rebuttal witness testified that Hinton was grieving and angry but knew his actions were wrong.

— Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
After all, very few people outside of the inner A24-Fielder-Oppenheim circle knew anything about it before its shock Telluride screening.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of knew

Verb

Meanwhile, companies are deploying AI agents by the thousand, and not one of them has read the company policy or heard the new local court ruling.

— Daniel Kjellén, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Jurors also heard about Garza’s previous run-ins with law enforcement — and his family’s struggles to get help from the county with his mental health.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of heard

Verb

Electricity has been Fazio’s signature issue in the campaign, and he is recognized as one of the legislature’s leading authorities on the issue as the ranking senator on the energy and technology committee.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
Since 2021, the Gotham Awards has recognized performers in gender-neutral categories.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of recognized

Verb

As a child, Betkowski displayed a morbid curiosity with chemicals and explosives, Cooper learned.

— Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
For decades, junior accountants learned their trade by reconciling accounts, manually entering data, and grinding through the month-end close.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of learned

Verb

But a more apt comparison might be the Mirabilia Urbis Romae, in which Medieval scholars deciphered the staggering ruins of Classical Rome.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2026
Re-creating the Herculaneum scrolls To date, one entire scroll and passages from others have been deciphered, largely thanks to the Vesuvius Challenge, a project launched in 2023 that encourages researchers to decode scrolls for cash prizes.

— Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of deciphered

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

caught one's eye

caught on (to)

caught up

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of caught on (to)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes