1
as in realizes
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
2
as in knows
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 catches on (to)
Verb
-
Cameron realizes that the boot camp is just beginning, and they will now be involved in the war.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025 -
Once on dry land, Ella realizes that somehow, she's traveled from 1905 to 2025.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And the remaining steps of the plan—the disarming of Hamas, the fielding of an international security force, and the establishment of a governing committee of Palestinian technocrats—will be a challenge, for the simple reason that no one knows how to do any of them.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Tilz Collection Herbs and Spices Advent Calendar Every chef knows that a meal isn’t complete without spices, and your family’s favorite cook will love this spread of premium spices.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As the two start to fall for each other, things get complicated when Huntley discovers Victoria is a princess.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Which, Polsky discovers, hasn’t been properly flushed by whoever used it previously.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Even if no one understands the movie reference, this is still a fun look for Halloween night.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Landau understands and supports not just Bruce’s vision but Bruce himself, which is how Nebraska, so bleak and bewitching, eventually emerges into the world.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In 2017, Garavani was also inducted into the American Academy of Achievement Hall of Fame, becoming the first European fashion designer to receive the honor, which recognizes visionaries and achievers across various fields.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Momcozy recognizes these concerns and has prioritized safety with the nasal aspirator’s 6-second auto mist-off feature, thereby only producing as much mist as is needed to gently loosen and remove mucus without causing the baby discomfort or harm.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Rest is Football is part of a recent trend in football coverage which sees ex-players turned pundits — such as Gary Neville, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards — being very open about their continuing allegiances to former clubs.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The new real estate series sees the Scott twins help wary buyers grapple with commitment issues to possibly make the biggest purchase of their lives.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
-
My body no longer deciphers its signals correctly.—
Alaa Alqaisi
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The teen, portrayed by actress Drew Barrymore, picks up the phone and hears a deep, ominous voice on the other end.—
Kelli Skye Fadroski,
Oc Register,
22 Oct. 2025
-
God hears the cries of the oppressed and calls His church to do the same.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Catches on (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catches%20on%20%28to%29. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share