| Additional Translations |
| catch n | (fishing, hunting) (pesca) | pesca nf |
| | (caza) | captura nf |
| | Salmon is the catch of the day. |
| | El salmón es la pesca del día. |
| | El salmón es la captura del día. |
| catch n | informal (condition) | truco nm |
| | | trampa nf |
| | What's the catch? |
| | ¿Dónde está el truco? |
| catch n | (fastening) | cierre nm |
| | (puertas, ventanas) | pestillo nm |
| | (puertas) | cerrojo nm |
| | The catch on the suitcase is stuck. |
| | El cierre de la maleta está atascado. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. El pestillo de la puerta está atascado. |
| catch n | (sport: catching ball) | parada nf |
| | (AmL) | atajada nf |
| | (NI, VE; béisbol) | atrapada nf |
| | The goalkeeper's catch saved the game for the home team. |
| | La parada del portero salvó la victoria del equipo local. |
| catch n | (song) (música) | canon nm |
| | Eddie loves to sing songs and catches from the Victorian era. |
| | A Eddie le encanta cantar canciones y cánones de la época victoriana. |
a catch,
quite a catch,
a real catch n | informal, figurative ([sb] worth marrying) (figurado) | partido nm |
| | I hear her new man is quite a catch! |
| | ¡Escuche que su nuevo novio es todo un partido! |
| catch n | uncountable (game: throwing ball back and forth) (juego) | pasarse la pelota loc nom f |
| | | atrapar la pelota loc nom f |
| | The boys were playing a game of catch, but William kept dropping the ball. |
| | Los chicos estaban jugando a pasarse la pelota, pero a William siempre se le caía. |
| catch n | (unsteadiness in voice) | voz quebrada nf + adj |
| | | voz entrecortada nf + adj |
| | I could tell from the catch in Steven's voice that this was an emotive issue for him. |
| | Por la voz quebrada de Steven podía darme cuenta de que este era un tema sensible para él. |
| catch vi | informal (begin to burn) | prenderse⇒ v prnl |
| | | incendiarse⇒ v prnl |
| | Lou dropped a match and the gasoline caught. |
| | A Lou se le cayó una cerilla y se prendió la gasolina. |
| | A Lou se le cayó una cerilla y la gasolina se incendió. |
| catch vi | US (sport: be catcher) | jugar de catcher loc verb |
| | Jennifer is catching in the softball game today. |
| | Jennifer juega de catcher hoy en el partido de softball. |
| catch vi | (voice: be unsteady) (voz) | quebrarse⇒ v prnl |
| | | entrecortarse⇒ v prnl |
| | Lara's voice caught on her late husband's name, and she began to cry. |
| | La voz de Lara se quebró al decir el nombre de su difunto marido, y empezó a llorar. |
| catch [sth]⇒ vtr | informal, figurative (see) (TV) | ver⇒ vtr |
| | (TV, radio) | escuchar⇒ vtr |
| | Did you catch the news last night? |
| | ¿Viste las noticias anoche? |
| | ¿Escuchaste las noticias anoche? |
| catch [sth] vtr | informal, figurative (hear) | entender⇒, captar⇒ vtr |
| | (coloquial) | pillar⇒ vtr |
| | I didn't catch what you said. |
| | No he entendido lo que has dicho. |
| | No he pillado lo que has dicho. |
| catch [sb]⇒ vtr | ([sb] departing) | alcanzar⇒ vtr |
| | (coloquial) | pillar⇒ vtr |
| | | dar alcance a alguien loc verb |
| | | coger⇒ vtr |
| | You might be able to catch him if you hurry. |
| | Quizá lo alcances si te das prisa. |
| catch [sth]⇒ vtr | informal, figurative (see, not miss) | ir a ver loc verb |
| | Let's catch the art show at the museum before it closes. |
| | Vayamos a ver al exposición de arte antes de que cierre. |
| catch [sth] in [sth]⇒ vtr | usu passive (entangle) | quedar atrapado loc verb |
| | | enredarse⇒ v prnl |
| | The fly was caught in the spider's web. |
| | La mosca quedó atrapada en la telaraña. |
| | La mosca se enredó en la telaraña. |
| catch [sth]⇒ vtr | figurative (gesture, likeness) | captar⇒ vtr |
| | The artist caught her expression beautifully. |
| | El artista captó su expresión de una manera muy bella. |
| catch [sth] vtr | US, informal (take momentarily) | sujetar⇒, sostener⇒ vtr |
| | Would you just catch my coat for a second while I make a telephone call? |
| | ¿Podrías sujetar mi abrigo un segundo mientras hago una llamada? |
| | ¿podrías coger mi abrigo un segundo mientras hago una llamada? |
| catch [sb] doing [sth]⇒ vtr | (discover unexpectedly) (coloquial) | pillar a alguien haciendo algo loc verb |
| | | encontrar a alguien haciendo algo loc verb |
| | | descubrir a alguien haciendo algo loc verb |
| | Alice caught her boyfriend eating cookies in the middle of the night. |
| | Alice pilló a su novio comiendo galletas en mitad de la noche. |
| catch at [sth] vtr phrasal insep | (reach for [sth]) | agarrar⇒ vtr |
| | | coger⇒ vtr |
| Note: En algunos países "coger" tiene connotaciones sexuales. |
| | Jane caught at Pete's arm and pulled him back onto the sidewalk as a car zoomed past. |
| | Jane agarró el brazo de Pete y lo jaló hacia la acera en el momento que un auto pasaba a toda velocidad. |
Locuciones verbales
|
| catch on vi phrasal | informal (person: understand) | captar⇒ vtr |
| | | comprender⇒, entender⇒ vtr |
| | (figurado, coloquial) | agarrar⇒ vtr |
| | (figurado, coloquial) | pescar⇒ vtr |
| | I told her that he'd poisoned his wife with arsenic, but she didn't catch on. |
| | Le comenté que él había envenenado a su esposa con arsénico, pero ella no lo captó. |
| | (MX, AR, CL, coloquial) | cachar⇒ vtr |
| | (AR, coloquial, figurado) | cazar⇒ vtr |
| | (ES, coloquial) | pillar⇒ vtr |
| | Le comenté que él había envenenado a su esposa con arsénico, pero ella no lo cachó. |
| catch on vi phrasal | informal ([sth]: become popular) | ponerse de moda loc verb |
| | (figurado, coloquial) | pegar⇒ vi |
| | (figurado, coloquial) | prender⇒ vi |
| | Do you think that the practice of people sewing their own clothing will ever catch on again? |
| | ¿Crees que la costumbre de que la gente se cosa su propia ropa alguna vez se pondrá de moda de nuevo? |
| catch [sb] out vtr phrasal sep | UK, often passive, informal (discover deceit) | atrapar a vtr + prep |
| | | pillar a vtr + prep |
| | The detective suspected the suspect was lying, so she kept asking him questions in the hope of catching him out. |
| | La detective creía que el sospechoso mentía, así que siguió interrogándolo con la esperanza de atraparlo. |
| | (figurado, haciendo algo) | pescar con las manos en la masa, agarrar con las manos en la masa loc verb |
| catch up vi phrasal | (go as fast) | alcanzar⇒ vtr |
| | Mira slowed down so that her younger sister could catch up. |
| | Mira aminoró la marcha para que su hermana menor pudiera alcanzarla. |
catch up with [sb/sth],
also US: catch up to [sb/sth] vi phrasal + prep | (go as fast as) | alcanzar a vtr + prep |
| | | alcanzar⇒ vtr |
| | I walk faster than he does, so I wait at each corner for him to catch up with me. |
| | Camino más rápido que él, así que lo espero en cada esquina para que me alcance. |
catch up with [sb],
also US: catch up to [sb/sth] vi phrasal + prep | (join, reach) | alcanzar a vtr + prep |
| | | pillar a vtr + prep |
| | You go on ahead; I'll catch up with you as soon as I've finished my work here. |
| | Tú ve primero, yo te alcanzo cuando haya terminado mi trabajo. |
| | | ir vi |
| | Tú ve primero, voy cuando haya terminado mi trabajo. |
| catch up vi phrasal | figurative, informal (compensate for time lost) | ponerse al día loc verb |
| | I missed a week of work, and now I have to catch up. |
| | Perdí unos días de trabajo, ahora tengo que ponerme al día. |
| catch [sb] up vtr phrasal sep | (join, reach) | alcanzar a vtr + prep |
| | Start walking and I'll catch you up; I need to fetch my coat first. |
| | Empieza a caminar y yo te alcanzo, necesito coger mi abrigo primero. |
| catch up on [sth] vi phrasal + prep | figurative, informal (compensate for time lost) | ponerse al día con expr |
| | Audrey sighed when she saw that she had to catch up on a huge pile of work. |
| | Audrey suspiró cuando se dio cuenta de que tenía que ponerse al día con una enorme pila de trabajo. |
catch up with [sb],
also US: catch up to [sb] vtr phrasal insep | figurative, informal (repay: with [sth] bad) (coloquial, figurado) | pasar factura loc verb |
| | | tener consecuencias loc verb |
| | Finally, his unhealthy habits caught up with him and he became very sick. |
| | Finalmente sus hábitos poco saludables pasaron factura y se enfermó. |
| catch up with [sb] vi phrasal + prep | informal (apprehend: criminal) | atrapar a, agarrar a vtr + prep |
| | | capturar a vtr + prep |
| | | coger a vtr + prep |
| | (ES) | pillar a vtr + prep |
| | The cops finally caught up with the shoplifter outside the stock exchange. |
| | Finalmente, la policía capturó al ladrón fuera de la casa de cambio. |
| | (ES: coloquial) | echar el guante a loc verb + prep |
| | (AR: coloquial) | cachar a vtr + prep |
| catch up vi phrasal | figurative, informal (exchange news) (novedades) | ponerse al día loc verb |
| | My friends and I like to catch up over a coffee once a month. |
| | A mis amigos y a mí nos gusta tomar un café y ponernos al día una vez al mes. |
| catch up with [sb] vi phrasal + prep | figurative, informal (exchange news) | reencontrarse con, rencontrarse con v prnl + prep |
| | | volver a reunirse con, volver a verse con, volver a encontrarse con loc verb + prep |
| | It was a pleasure to catch up with everyone at the family reunion. |
| | Fue un placer reencontrarse con todos en la reunión familiar. |
| | Fue un placer volver a reunirse con todos en la reunión familiar. |
| catch up on [sth] vi phrasal + prep | figurative, informal (get up to date) | ponerse al día con, ponerse al día de loc verb + prep |
| | | poner al tanto de loc verb + prep |
| | I phoned my brother to catch up on the latest news back home. |
| | Hablé por teléfono con mi hermano y me puse al día con todas las novedades y los chismes del pueblo. |
Compound Forms:
|
| by-catch n | (fishing: unwanted catch) | captura accesoria loc nom f |
catch 22,
Catch 22,
catch-22,
Catch-22 n | (paradox, [sth] self-contradictory) | círculo vicioso expr |
| | | callejón sin salida expr |
| | (ES) | pescadilla que se muerde la cola expr |
| | It's a real Catch-22: to get a job you need experience, but to get experience you need a job. |
| | Es un verdadero círculo vicioso: para conseguir trabajo necesitas experiencia y para ganar experiencia necesitas un trabajo. |
catch 22,
Catch 22,
catch-22,
Catch-22 n | colloquial (no-win situation) | callejón sin salida expr |
| | | encrucijada nf |
| | John would be hurt if she didn't invite him, but if she did, Mary wouldn't come. It was a Catch-22. |
catch 22 situation,
Catch 22 situation,
catch-22 situation,
Catch-22 situation n | ([sth] self-contradictory) (figurado) | callejón sin salida loc nom m |
| | (figurado) | círculo vicioso loc nom m |
| | | palos porque bogas, y palos porque no expr |
| catch a break v expr | informal (have some luck) | tener suerte loc verb |
catch a cold,
catch cold,
take a cold v expr | (contract cold virus) | resfriarse⇒ v prnl |
| | | agarrar un resfriado loc verb |
| | (informal) | pescarse un resfrío loc verb |
| | (ES) | coger un resfriado loc verb |
| | If you go out in this rain without a coat you're liable to catch a cold. |
| | Si sales con esta lluvia y sin abrigo, te resfriarás. |
| catch a crab v expr | (rowing: bad stroke) | remar a destiempo vi + loc adv |
catch a glimpse of [sth/sb],
catch a brief glimpse of [sth/sb] v expr | (perceive briefly) | ver por un segundo loc verb |
| | | alcanzar a ver loc verb |
| | | captar un destello de loc verb + prep |
| | | vislumbrar⇒, entrever⇒ vtr |
| | I caught a glimpse of Peter as he walked past my house. |
| | Vi por un segundo a Peter cuando pasó por mi casa. |
catch a train,
catch the train v expr | (go by train) | tomar el tren loc verb |
| | I'm going to catch a train home after I get out from work. |
| | (ES) | coger un tren, coger el tren loc verb |
| | | ir en tren loc verb |
| catch [sb]'s attention v expr | (attract notice) | llamar la atención de loc verb |
| | As I was scrolling through videos, this one caught my attention. |
catch basin (US),
catch pit (UK) n | (drainage pit) | sumidero nm |
| catch crop | (agriculture) | cultivo intermedio loc nom m |
catch fire,
catch on fire,
also UK: catch light,
catch alight,
also US: take fire v expr | (ignite) | prender fuego loc verb |
| | | prender en llamas loc verb |
| | Gasoline can catch fire very easily. |
| | If you knock that candle onto the rug, it will catch on fire. |
| | La gasolina puede prender fuego fácilmente. |
| | | incendiarse⇒ v prnl |
| | | prenderse fuego loc verb |
| | La gasolina puede incendiarse fácilmente. |
catch fire,
catch on fire v expr | figurative (create enthusiasm) (figurado) | prender fuego loc verb |
| | | entusiasmar⇒ vtr |
catch [sb] flat-footed,
catch [sb] flatfooted v expr | figurative (surprise [sb], find [sb] unprepared) | pillar desprevenido a loc verb |
| | | sorprender a vtr + prep |
| catch hell vtr + n | US, slang (receive severe reprimand) | regañina nf |
| | (MX, coloquial) | regañiza nf |
| | He was sure to catch hell from his wife for his behaviour. |
| | Estaba seguro de que su esposa le daría una fuerte regañina por su comportamiento. |
| | Estaba seguro de que su esposa le daría una fuerte regañiza por lo que hizo. |
| catch hold of [sb/sth] v expr | (grasp, grab) | agarrar a vtr + prep |
| | | agarrar⇒ vtr |
| | Mr. Jones caught hold of Mark by the collar and dragged him off to see the headmaster. |
| | El Sr. Jones agarró a Mark del cuello y lo arrastró a lo del director. |
| | (excepto AR, UY) | coger a vtr + prep |
| | | coger⇒ vtr |
| | (coloquial) | pescar a vtr + prep |
| | | pescar⇒ vtr |
| catch in the throat v expr | (cause [sb] to sob or choke) | atragantársele loc verb |
| | He nearly choked when a chicken bone caught in his throat. |
| | Se le atragantó un pedazo de carne, tuve que golpearle la espalda para que lo escupiera. |
catch in the throat,
catch in your throat,
catch in your voice n | (sob, etc. that interrupts speaking) | voz entrecortada nf + adj |
| catch it v expr | informal (be punished or reprimanded) (informal) | cargársela expr |
| catch [sb] off guard v expr | (take [sb] by surprise) (coloquial) | agarrar por sorpresa loc verb |
| | The offer of early retirement caught me off guard; I hadn't guessed it was coming. |
| | | agarrar desprevenido loc verb |
| | | agarrar desprevenido a loc verb |
| | | tomar por sorpresa a loc verb |
| catch [sb] red handed vtr + adj | figurative (discover [sb] committing a crime) | pescar in fraganti a, agarrar in fraganti a loc verb |
| | I caught the thief red handed stealing my jewels. |
| | | agarrar con las manos en la masa a loc verb |
| | | agarrar a alguien con las manos en la masa loc verb |
catch [sb]'s drift,
get [sb]'s drift v expr | informal, figurative (understand what [sb] means) | entender⇒ vtr |
| | | captar⇒ vtr |
| catch sight of [sth/sb] v expr | (glimpse, notice) | ver⇒ vtr |
| | | notar⇒ vtr |
| | (a lo lejos) | divisar, avistar loc verb |
| | When I caught sight of my appearance in the mirror, I immediately rushed back to my closet to change. |
| | Cuando vi mi apariencia en el espejo, inmediatamente corrí a cambiarme. |
| catch the attention of [sb] v expr | (be noticed) | llamar la atención loc verb |
| | His manly voice caught my attention. |
| | Su voz varonil me llamó la atención. |
| | | captar la atención de loc verb |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. El nuevo decorado de la tienda captó la atención de los transeúntes. |
catch the eye,
catch [sb]'s eye v expr | (be noticeable) | llamar la atención loc verb |
| | | atraer las miradas loc verb |
| | The bold designs and bright colours of these dresses really catch the eye. |
| | Los diseños atrevidos y los colores brillantes de estos vestidos realmente llaman la atención. |
| catch the eye of [sb] v expr | (be noticed) | llamar la atención de loc verb |
| | Laura's performance in the show caught the eye of talent scouts. |
catch [sb] unawares,
take [sb] unawares v expr | (catch off-guard) | agarrar desprevenido a loc verb |
| | | tomar por sorpresa a loc verb |
| | The question caught the minister unawares; she didn't have an answer prepared. |
| | (coloquial) | agarrar desprevenido loc verb |
| catch [sb] up v expr | informal (update [sb]) | poner al día a loc verb |
| | | poner al tanto a loc verb |
| | What's your news? Let's have a cup of tea and you can catch me up. |
| catch [sb] up on [sth] v expr | informal (update [sb] on [sth]) | poner al día a alguien de, poner al día a alguien sobre loc verb |
| | | poner al tanto a alguien de, poner al tanto a alguien sobre loc verb |
| | Lisa's colleagues caught her up on the staff changes that had taken place while she was off sick. |
| catch wind of [sth] v expr | informal (hear a rumour of [sth]) | escuchar el rumor de loc verb |
| | The employees caught wind of the coming lay-offs, and were very upset. |
Catch you later,
Catch you later! interj | informal (see you soon) | ¡nos vemos luego!, ¡nos vemos después! expr |
| | (informal) | ¡nos vemos! expr |
| catch your breath v expr | (pause to breathe) (literal) | recobrar el aliento loc verb |
| | I had to take 20 flights of stairs. It took me several minutes to catch my breath. |
| | Tuve que subir veinte pisos por las escaleras y me tomó varios minutos recobrar el aliento. |
| catch your breath v expr | figurative (take a break) | tomarse un respiro loc verb |
| | Now that we're done with most of the rush jobs, we can catch our breath. |
| | Ahora que terminaron los trabajos más bravos, podemos tomarnos un respiro. |
catch your death,
catch your death of cold v expr | informal (catch a bad cold) (coloquial) | coger un resfriado del demonio, pillar un resfriado del demonio loc verb |
| | | coger un resfriado terrible, pillar un resfriado terrible loc verb |
| catch [sb]'s eye v expr | (be noticed) | llamar la atención de alguien loc verb |
| | | llamarle la atención a alguien loc verb |
| catch-all n | informal ([sth] comprehensive, all-purpose) | multifunción nm |
| catch-all n as adj | informal (comprehensive, all-purpose) | multicontenido adj |
| catch-as-catch-can adj | (using whatever method, material possible) | a salto de mata loc adj |
| | | indiscriminado/a adj |
| catch-as-catch-can n | historical (type of wrestling) (voz inglesa) | catch wrestling loc nom m |
| catch-up n | informal (meeting to get up-to-date) (coloquial) | juntada nf |
| | | reunión nf |
| | I haven't seen you for ages; we'll have to have a proper catch-up soon. |
| | No te he visto en años, debemos hacer una juntada pronto. |
| catch-up n | informal (attempt to match, compete) | empate nm |
| | The cyclist's catch-up ultimately failed, and he finished third in the race. |
| | El empate del ciclista finalmente falló y terminó tercero en la carrera. |
| catch-up adj | informal (aimed at matching, competing) | compensatorio/a adj |
| | Inflation is rising fast, so the company intends to give its employees a catch-up pay rise. |
| | La inflación está aumentando rápidamente y la compañía tiene intenciones de dar a los empleados un aumento compensatorio. |
catchphrase,
catch phrase,
catch-phrase n | (advertising slogan) | eslogan nm |
| | | lema nm |
| | Suddenly, everyone seemed to be repeating the company's memorable catchphrase. |
catchphrase,
catch phrase,
catch-phrase n | (motto) | frase pegadiza nf + adj |
| | | latiguillo nm |
| | (publicidad) | eslogan nm |
| | The comedian repeated his catchphrase at every possible opportunity. |
| | Many radio program hosts have a catch phrase which they say at the end of every program to help people remember them. |
| | El comediante repetía la frase pegadiza cada vez que podía. |
get a break,
catch a break v expr | (have good luck) | tener suerte expr |
| | | tener un golpe de suerte expr |
| | After losing my job and my marriage, I think it must be my turn to catch a break now. |
| good catch n | (attractive partner) (informal) | buen partido loc nom m |
Good catch!,
Nice catch! interj | (well done for noticing) | ¡Qué buen ojo! expr |
| | You're right, there is a grammatical error in that sentence. Good catch! |
| Good catch! interj | informal (praising [sb] for noticing a mistake) | ¡qué buen ojo! loc interj |
| | | ¡buen punto! loc interj |
| Good catch! interj | (praising player for catching ball) | ¡qué buena atrapada! loc interj |
| | | ¡buena atrapada! loc interj |
| play catch-up vtr + n | informal (get updated) | ponerse al día loc verb |
| | Julia wanted to play catch-up and find out what had happened while she had been away. |
| | Julia quería ponerse al día y enterarse de todo lo que había pasado cuando no estuvo. |
| play catch-up vtr + n | informal (do work missed due to illness) (trabajo) | ponerse al día loc verb |
| | I had to play catch-up after being away from work on sick leave. |
| safety catch n | (prevents gun from firing) | pasador de seguridad loc nom m |
| | | cierre de seguridad loc nom m |