Meaning
- Catch on to means to begin to understand or realize something, especially after some delay.
- It can also mean becoming aware of what is happening or grasping an idea.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Phrasal verb (inseparable)
- Structure: catch on to + noun/pronoun
- Used in informal and conversational English.
- Focuses on the process of understanding rather than immediate recognition.
Examples of structure:
- catch on to the joke
- catch on to what he meant
Common Phrases
- catch on to the idea
- catch on to the joke
- catch on to the truth
- catch on to the plan
- catch on to the trick
Collocations
- Verb + catch on to: finally catch on to, quickly catch on to
- Noun + catch on to: catch on to the meaning, catch on to the pattern
Examples
- It took her a while to catch on to the rules of the game.
- He didn’t catch on to the joke until everyone started laughing.
- The teacher was surprised at how quickly the students caught on to the new concept.
- It took me a few minutes to catch on to what he was trying to say.
- She finally caught on to the fact that they were lying.
- I couldn’t catch on to the instructions at first, but then it made sense.
- He’s smart, so he usually catches on to new ideas quickly.
- The police soon caught on to the criminal’s plan.
Synonyms or Related
- realize
- grasp
- understand
- figure out
- get the hang of
Antonym
- misunderstand
- miss
- be oblivious to
- ignore