catching

American

[kach-ing] / ˈkætʃ ɪŋ /

adjective

tending to be transmitted from one person to another; contagious or infectious.

a disease that is catching;
His enthusiasm is catching.
attractive; fascinating; captivating; alluring.

a catching personality.

catching British

/ ˈkætʃɪŋ /

adjective

infectious
attractive; captivating

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

catchingly adverb
catchingness noun

Etymology

Origin of catching

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; catch, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“While it may be tempting to jump into the beaten-down software group, at this point, you’re still catching a falling knife,” co-founders Paul Hickey and Justin Walters said in a blog post on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

I'll miss our chats and I'll miss catching him off guard and making him chortle.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

As chatbots and agents get smarter, catching their mistakes is getting harder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

When Kelly visited Australia, we had dinner, and it felt like catching up with someone I’d known for decades.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026

A breeze blows through his open window, the curtain catching his plant.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023