Expressions

English Expressions, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs | Meanings, Examples & Usage

Idiom Cybersecurity

to find a problem or defect in a system

"The developer was able to catch a bug in the system before it went live."

Phrasal-verb Health

to become ill with a cold

"You’ll catch a cold if you go out in this rain."

Phrasal-verb Movement

to try to grab something quickly; to take advantage of an opportunity suddenly

"He caught at the rope before he fell off the boat."

Phrasal-verb Opportunity

to take an opportunity eagerly

"She caught at the chance to study abroad."

Phrasal-verb Nature

to start burning; to become very exciting or popular

"The dry leaves quickly caught fire in the heat."

Phrasal-verb Action

to grab something or someone firmly

"She caught hold of his hand to stop him from leaving."

Idiom Creativity

to achieve something amazing and rare through creativity or luck

"Their new design caught lightning in a bottle."

Phrasal-verb Reaction

to surprise someone unexpectedly

"Her sudden question caught me off guard."

Phrasal-verb Trend

to become popular or widely accepted

"The idea of remote work quickly caught on after the pandemic."

Phrasal-verb Learning ability

to understand new concepts or ideas fast

"She catches on quickly when it comes to math problems."

Phrasal-verb Learning

to understand or learn something new, especially after some time

"It took him a few weeks to catch on to the new reporting system."

Phrasal-verb Marketing

to become popular or well-accepted among people

"The innovative idea quickly caught on with young consumers."

Phrasal-verb Health

to stop and rest for a moment after physical activity

"After running upstairs, I stopped to catch my breath."

Phrasal-verb Deception

to trick someone into making a mistake; to discover someone doing something wrong

"The reporter tried to catch out the politician with a tricky question."

Idiom Sleep

to get some sleep

"I need to catch some z’s before the meeting."

Phrasal-verb Education

to show that someone has made a mistake or is lying

"The teacher tried to catch the student out during the test."

Idiom Emotions

to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong

"The police caught him red-handed as he was stealing from the store."

Phrasal-verb Attention

to attract someone's attention

"The bright red car caught my eye as it drove past."

Idiom Movement

to be on time for a train or event

"Hurry up or you’ll not catch the train!"

Idiom Travel

to become very interested in traveling

"After visiting Thailand, she really caught the travel bug."

Phrasal-verb Progress

to reach the same level or progress as others

"I missed a few classes, so I need to catch up on the lessons."

Phrasal-verb Situation

to become involved in something, often unwillingly

"He got caught up in a legal issue he didn’t understand."

Phrasal-verb Productivity

to do something that one has missed or delayed doing before a deadline

"I stayed late to catch up on my unfinished reports."

Phrasal-verb Sports

to reach the same level or position as someone ahead

"He ran faster to catch up to the leading runner."

Phrasal-verb Competition

to reach the same level or standard as others

"Many companies are trying to catch up with global tech giants."

Phrasal-verb Learning

to stay updated with the latest developments or innovations

"Founders must catch up with trends to stay competitive."

Idiom Internet

to deceive someone by creating a fake online identity

"He was catfished by someone pretending to be a model."

Idiom Fashion

A woman who is very confident and stylish, like a model

"She walked into the room like a catwalk queen."

Idiom Difficult Choices

in a difficult situation where any choice you make will have negative consequences

"I'm caught between a rock and a hard place - both options are terrible."

Idiom Difficulty

to fail because of trying to do two things at once

"He was caught between two stools—trying to please both his boss and his team."

Idiom Surprise

surprised or shocked by something unexpected

"She was caught off guard by the sudden question."

Idiom Media

Recorded on video; captured visually

"The accident was caught on camera by a passerby."

Idiom Truth

to be caught in the act of doing something wrong

"The thief was caught red-handed stealing the wallet."

Idiom Fashion

To be caught unprepared or embarrassed.

"The manager was caught with his pants down when asked about the figures."

Phrasal-verb Morale

to mark achievements alongside someone

"We celebrate wins with a quick message in the team chat."

Phrasal-verb Social

to join in celebration with people from other cultural backgrounds

"We love to celebrate with friends during their cultural festivals."

Phrasal-verb Celebration

to join in the cultural festivities of people from other backgrounds

"We should celebrate with others to appreciate their culture and values."

Phrasal-verb Mental focus

to focus attention or thoughts on something; to make something the main point

"Try to center on the positive aspects of your life instead of the negatives."

Phrasal-verb Mindfulness

to find balance and emotional calm within yourself

"Meditation helps her center herself when she feels stressed."

Idiom Science

a series of events triggered by one event

"One breakthrough can start a chain reaction of new innovations."

Phrasal-verb Achievement

to achieve or record something, especially a success or victory

"He chalked up another win in his career."

Phrasal-verb Growth

to credit progress achieved over time

"We chalk up improvements to consistent practice and rest."

Phrasal-verb Reflection

to attribute something to a particular reason

"We chalked it up to experience and moved forward."

Idiom Change

to shift to a new way of thinking or doing things

"We need to change gears if we want to reach our target in time."

Idiom Change

Everything in life keeps changing; nothing stays the same.

"Don’t resist — change is the only constant."

Idiom Politics

a change in leadership or authority

"There has been a change of guard in the ruling party."

Idiom Change

a change in the way one feels about something or someone

"He had a change of heart and decided to stay."

Idiom Theater

a new environment or situation

"After months of work, I needed a change of scene."

Idiom Change

to change one's opinion or attitude

"After hearing the good news, he decided to change his tune."

Idiom Innovation

to introduce something that significantly alters an industry or field

"5G technology will change the game for mobile communication."