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

In Shibuya, Halloween festivities were already a nuisance — but now, officials realized there was more to worry about than empty bottles and loud music.

— Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026
Why yes, Bell realized — even in preseason games, NFL contact can be particularly violent.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 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

Heo Kang Il, an elite defector who managed a North Korean restaurant in China and in 2016 brought 12 of his staff with him to South Korea, knew people subjected to revolutionization and was subjected to it once himself.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
Everyone who knew and worked with him was familiar with his stories, often told in a regional Texas twang and often more than once – and occasionally with a remarkable addendum.

— Keith McDermott, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of knew

Verb

The committee heard substantial evidence that construction workers had smoked on site, and several cigarette butts and some partially burned materials, such as cardboard boxes, were found on the flat roof.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
Someone in the area can be heard using whistles, a tool that some activists have employed to alert people when ICE is in the area.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 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

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Style

“Caught on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caught%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of caught on (to)

verb

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