CATCH.

Synonyms:

apprehend,comprehend,grasp,overtake,snatch,
capture,discover,grip,secure,take,
clasp,ensnare,gripe,seize,take hold of.
clutch,entrap,lay hold of (on, upon),

To catch is to come up with or take possession of something departing, fugitive, or illusive. We catch a runaway horse, a flying ball, a mouse in a trap. We clutch with a swift, tenacious movement of the fingers; we grasp with a firm but moderate closure of the whole hand; we grip or gripe with the strongest muscular closure of the whole hand possible to exert. We clasp in the arms. We snatch with a quick, sudden, and usually a surprising motion. In the figurative sense, catch is used of any act that brings a person or thing into our power or possession; as, to catch a criminal in the act; to catch an idea, in the sense of apprehend or comprehend. Compare [ARREST].

[98]

Antonyms:

fail of,give up,lose,release,throw aside,
fall short of,let go,miss,restore,throw away.

Prepositions:

To catch at a straw; to catch a fugitive by the collar; to catch a ball with the left hand; he caught the disease from the patient; the thief was caught in the act; the bird in the snare.