different between catch vs absorb
catch
English
Etymology
From Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-Norman cachier, from Late Latin capti?re, present active infinitive of capti?, from Latin capt?, frequentative of capi?. Akin to Modern French chasser (from Old French chacier) and Spanish cazar, and thus a doublet of chase. Displaced Middle English fangen ("to catch"; > Modern English fang (verb)), from Old English f?n (“to seize, take”); Middle English lacchen ("to catch"; > Modern English latch), from Old English læ??an.
The verb became irregular, possibly under the influence of the semantically similar latch (from Old English læ??an) whose past tense was lahte, lauhte, laught (Old English læhte) until becoming regularised in Modern English.
Pronunciation
- enPR: k?ch, IPA(key): /kæt??/
- (US) enPR: k?ch, k?ch, IPA(key): /kæt??/, /k?t??/
- Noah Webster's American Dictionary (1828) regards /k?t?/ as the "popular or common pronunciation." It is labeled "not infreq[uent]" in Kenyon & Knott (1949).
- Rhymes: -æt?, -?t?
Noun
catch (countable and uncountable, plural catches)
- (countable) The act of seizing or capturing.
- The catch of the perpetrator was the product of a year of police work.
- (countable) The act of catching an object in motion, especially a ball.
- The player made an impressive catch.
- Nice catch!
- (countable) The act of noticing, understanding or hearing.
- Good catch. I never would have remembered that.
- (uncountable) The game of catching a ball.
- The kids love to play catch.
- (countable) Something which is captured or caught.
- The fishermen took pictures of their catch.
- The catch amounted to five tons of swordfish.
- (countable, colloquial, by extension) A find, in particular a boyfriend or girlfriend or prospective spouse.
- Did you see his latest catch?
- He's a good catch.
- (countable) A stopping mechanism, especially a clasp which stops something from opening.
- She installed a sturdy catch to keep her cabinets closed tight.
- (countable) A hesitation in voice, caused by strong emotion.
- There was a catch in his voice when he spoke his father's name.
- (countable, sometimes noun adjunct) A concealed difficulty, especially in a deal or negotiation.
- It sounds like a great idea, but what's the catch?
- Be careful, that's a catch question.
- (countable) A crick; a sudden muscle pain during unaccustomed positioning when the muscle is in use.
- I bent over to see under the table and got a catch in my side.
- (countable) A fragment of music or poetry.
- (obsolete) A state of readiness to capture or seize; an ambush.
- The common and the canon law […] lie at catch, and wait advantages one against another.
- (countable, agriculture) A crop which has germinated and begun to grow.
- (obsolete) A type of strong boat, usually having two masts; a ketch.
- 1612, John Smith, Map of Virginia, in Kupperman 1988, page 158:
- Fourteene miles Northward from the river Powhatan, is the river Pamaunke, which is navigable 60 or 70 myles, but with Catches and small Barkes 30 or 40 myles farther.
- 1612, John Smith, Map of Virginia, in Kupperman 1988, page 158:
- (countable, music) A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.
- 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 3 scene 2
- Let us be jocund: will you troll the catch / You taught me but while-ere?
- 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 3 scene 2
- (countable, music) The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse.
- (countable, cricket, baseball) The act of catching a hit ball before it reaches the ground, resulting in an out.
- (countable, cricket) A player in respect of his catching ability; particularly one who catches well.
- (countable, rowing) The first contact of an oar with the water.
- (countable, phonetics) A stoppage of breath, resembling a slight cough.
- Passing opportunities seized; snatches.
- , Introduction
- the way it has been writ in, by catches, and many long intervals of interruption
- , Introduction
- A slight remembrance; a trace.
- 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica
- We retain a catch of those pretty stories.
- 1665, Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica
Synonyms
- (act of capturing): seizure, capture, collar, snatch
- (the act of catching a ball): grasp, snatch
- (act of noticing): observation
- (a find): prize, find; conquest, beau
- (quantity captured): haul, take
- (stopping mechanism): stop, chock; clasp, hasp, latch
- (hidden difficulty): snag, problem; trick, gimmick, hitch
- (fragment of music): snatch, fragment; snippet, bit
- (refrain): chorus, refrain, burden
Derived terms
See combined section below.
Translations
Verb
catch (third-person singular simple present catches, present participle catching, simple past and past participle caught)
- (heading) To capture, overtake.
- (transitive) To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape). [from 13thc.]
- (transitive) To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive. [from 14thc.]
- 1611, Authorized King James Version, Mark 12:13:
- And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
- 1611, Authorized King James Version, Mark 12:13:
- (transitive, figuratively, dated) To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.
- 1933, Sinclair Lewis, Ann Vickers, p.108:
- The public […] said that Miss Bogardus was a suffragist because she had never caught a man; that she wanted something, but it wasn't the vote.
- 2006, Michael Collier and Georgia Machemer, Medea, p.23:
- As for Aspasia, concubinage with Pericles brought her as much honor as she could hope to claim in Athens. […] from the moment she caught her man, this influential, unconventional woman became a lightning rod […].
- 1933, Sinclair Lewis, Ann Vickers, p.108:
- (transitive) To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc. [from 16thc.]
- (transitive) To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for. [from 17thc.]
- 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1):
- Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Did anyone catch the Charlie Rose the evening before last. Did you catch it? No, nothing?
- 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1):
- (transitive) To unpleasantly discover unexpectedly; to unpleasantly surprise (someone doing something). [from 17thc.]
- (transitive) To travel by means of. [from 19thc.]
- 1987, A.J. Quinnell, In the Name of the Father, p.111:
- After about a kilometer I caught a taxi to Santa Croce.
- 1987, A.J. Quinnell, In the Name of the Father, p.111:
- (transitive, rare) To become pregnant. (Only in past tense or as participle.) [from 19thc.]
- 2002, Orpha Caton, Shadow on the Creek, pp.102-103:
- Had Nancy got caught with a child? If so she would destroy her parent's dreams for her.
- 2002, Orpha Caton, Shadow on the Creek, pp.102-103:
- (transitive) To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape). [from 13thc.]
- (heading) To seize hold of.
- (transitive, dated) To grab, seize, take hold of. [from 13thc.]
- (transitive) To take or replenish something necessary, such as breath or sleep. [from 14thc.]
- (transitive) To grip or entangle. [from 17thc.]
- (intransitive) To be held back or impeded.
- (intransitive) To engage with some mechanism; to stick, to succeed in interacting with something or initiating some process.
- (transitive) To have something be held back or impeded.
- (intransitive) To make a grasping or snatching motion (at). [from 17thc.]
- (transitive) Of fire, to spread or be conveyed to. [from 18thc.]
- (transitive, rowing) To grip (the water) with one's oars at the beginning of the stroke. [from 19thc.]
- 1906, Arthur W. Stevens, Practical Rowing with Scull and Sweep, p.63:
- Stop gathering, in that gradual fashion, and catch the water sharply and decisively.
- 1906, Arthur W. Stevens, Practical Rowing with Scull and Sweep, p.63:
- (intransitive, agriculture) To germinate and set down roots. [from 19thc.]
- (transitive, surfing) To contact a wave in such a way that one can ride it back to shore.
- 2001, John Lull, Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue, p.203:
- If you are surfing a wave through the rocks, make sure you have a clear route before catching the wave.
- 2001, John Lull, Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue, p.203:
- (transitive, computing) To handle an exception. [from 20thc.]
- (transitive, dated) To grab, seize, take hold of. [from 13thc.]
- (heading) To intercept.
- (transitive) To seize or intercept an object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium). [from 16thc.]
- (transitive, now rare) To seize (an opportunity) when it occurs. [from 16thc.]
- 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 18:
- she internally resolved henceforward to catch every opportunity of eyeing the hair and of satisfying herself, […].
- 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 18:
- (transitive, cricket) To end a player's innings by catching a hit ball before the first bounce. [from 18thc.]
- (transitive, intransitive, baseball) To play (a specific period of time) as the catcher. [from 19thc.]
- (transitive) To seize or intercept an object moving through the air (or, sometimes, some other medium). [from 16thc.]
- (heading) To receive (by being in the way).
- (transitive) To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.). [from 13thc.]
- (transitive) To be touched or affected by (something) through exposure. [from 13thc.]
- (transitive) To be infected by (an illness). [from 16thc.]
- (intransitive) To spread by infection or similar means.
- Does the sedition catch from man to man?
- 1817, Mary Martha Sherwood, Stories Explanatory of the Church Catechism
- He accosted Mrs. Browne very civilly, told her his wife was very ill, and said he was sadly troubled to get a white woman to nurse her: "For," said he, "Mrs. Simpson has set it abroad that her fever is catching."
- (transitive, intransitive) To receive or be affected by (wind, water, fire etc.). [from 18thc.]
- 2003, Jerry Dennis, The Living Great Lakes, p.63:
- the sails caught and filled, and the boat jumped to life beneath us.
- 2003, Jerry Dennis, The Living Great Lakes, p.63:
- (transitive) To acquire, as though by infection; to take on through sympathy or infection. [from 16thc.]
- (transitive) To be hit by something.
- (intransitive) To serve well or poorly for catching, especially for catching fish.
- (intransitive) To get pregnant.
- (transitive) To be the victim of (something unpleasant, painful etc.). [from 13thc.]
- (heading) To take in with one's senses or intellect.
- (transitive) To grasp mentally: perceive and understand. [from 16thc.]
- “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; […]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
- (transitive, informal) To take in; to watch or listen to (an entertainment). [from 20thc.]
- (transitive) To reproduce or echo a spirit or idea faithfully. [from 17thc.]
- (transitive) To grasp mentally: perceive and understand. [from 16thc.]
- (heading) To seize attention, interest.
- (transitive) To charm or entrance. [from 14thc.]
- 2004, Catherine Asaro, The Moon's Shadow, p.40
- No, a far more natural beauty caught him.
- 2004, Catherine Asaro, The Moon's Shadow, p.40
- (transitive) To attract and hold (a faculty or organ of sense). [from 17thc.]
- (transitive) To charm or entrance. [from 14thc.]
- (heading) To obtain or experience
Conjugation
Usage notes
- The older past and passive participle catched is now nonstandard.
Synonyms
- (seize in motion): fang, snatch, grab
- (capture prey): capture, take; snare, hook
- (be hit): take, get
Antonyms
- drop, release
Translations
Derived terms
References
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English catch.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kat?/
Noun
catch m (uncountable)
- wrestling; professional wrestling
Derived terms
- catcheur
Further reading
- “catch” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
catch From the web:
- what catches people's attention
- what catches fruit flies
- what catches the sunlight in the plants and trees
- what catches on fire easily
- what catch 22 means
- what catches gnats
- what catcher did the mets sign
- what catches your attention
absorb
English
Etymology
From Middle French absorber, from Old French assorbir, from Latin absorbe? (“swallow up”), from ab- (“from”) +? sorbe? (“suck in, swallow”). Compare French absorber.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?b?z??b/, /?b?s??b/
- (General American) IPA(key): /æb?s??b/, /æb?z??b/, /?b?s??b/, /?b?z??b/
- Rhymes: -??(r)b
- Hyphenation: ab?sorb
Verb
absorb (third-person singular simple present absorbs, present participle absorbing, simple past and past participle absorbed or (archaic) absorpt)
- (transitive) To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to incorporate; to assimilate; to take in and use up. [first attested c. 1350 to 1470.]
- 1782, William Cowper, On Observing some Names of Little Note
- Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all.
- 1782, William Cowper, On Observing some Names of Little Note
- (transitive, obsolete) To engulf, as in water; to swallow up. [Attested from the late 15th century until the late 18th century.]
- (transitive) To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe, like a sponge or as the lacteals of the body; to chemically take in. [first attested in the early 17th century.]
- (transitive, physics, chemistry) To take in energy and convert it, as[first attested in the early 18th century.]
- (transitive, physics) in receiving a physical impact or vibration without recoil.
- (transitive, physics) in receiving sound energy without repercussion or echo.
- (transitive, physics) taking in radiant energy and converting it to a different form of energy, like heat.
- (transitive) To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully. [first attested in the late 18th century.]
- 1904, Kazimierz Waliszewski, translated by Lady Mary Loyd, Ivan the Terrible Part 2 Chapter 3
- Livonian affairs held him tight, and were to absorb him for many a year.
- 1904, Kazimierz Waliszewski, translated by Lady Mary Loyd, Ivan the Terrible Part 2 Chapter 3
- (transitive) To occupy or consume time. [first attested in the mid 19th century.]
- (transitive) Assimilate mentally. [first attested in the late 19th century.]
- (transitive, business) To assume or pay for as part of a commercial transaction.
- (transitive) To defray the costs.
- (transitive) To accept or purchase in quantity.
Conjugation
Synonyms
- (to include so that it no longer has separate existence): assimilate, engulf, incorporate, swallow up, overwhelm
- (to suck up or drink in): draw, drink in, imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck, suck up, steep, take in, take up
- (to consume completely): use up
- (to occupy fully): engage, engross, immerse, monopolize, occupy
- (finance: to assume or pay for): assume, bear, pay for, take in
Antonyms
- (physics: to take up by chemical or physical action): emit
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- adsorb
Further reading
- Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002) , “absorb”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, ?ISBN, page 9
Anagrams
- Brabos, bobars, robabs
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ab?sorb]
Verb
absorb
- first-person singular present indicative of absorbi
- third-person plural present indicative of absorbi
- first-person singular present subjunctive of absorbi
absorb From the web:
- what absorbs cigarette smoke
- what absorbs light
- what absorbs water
- what absorbs nutrients
- what absorbs light in photosynthesis
- what absorbs bad smells
- what absorbs the light energy for photosynthesis
- what absorbs water in the body
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