caught

caught · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    Past tense and past participle of "catch": seized or captured.

  2. 2.

    Intercepted and held a moving object.

  3. 3.

    Became infected with.

  4. 4.

    Discovered someone doing something wrong.

  5. 5.

    Was affected by or became entangled in.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    caught red-handed — discovered in the act
  • •
    caught off guard — surprised
  • •
    caught in the act — discovered while doing something wrong
  • •
    caught between — torn between two options
  • •
    caught up in — involved in; preoccupied with

Related words

Antonyms: freed, missed, released
See also: captured, catch, seized
Synonyms: captured, grabbed, seized, trapped

Etymology

From Old North French "cachier" meaning to chase or hunt, via Middle English "cacchen." The past tense "caught" replaced the earlier regular form "catched."