catch out
The phrase 'catch out' is primarily used in British English and has multiple meanings, including exposing deceit, surprising someone, and a specific action in cricket.
Definition
B2General
(British English, informal)To discover or expose someone's deceit, error, or inconsistency.
Example
- The journalist managed to catch out the politician in a lie.
- She was caught out when her alibi didn't match the evidence.
B2General
(British English, informal)To surprise someone, often putting them in a difficult or unexpected situation.
Example
- The sudden change in weather caught everyone out.
- The tricky question in the exam caught many students out.
C1Cricket
(sports, British English)To dismiss a batsman by catching the ball hit by them before it touches the ground.
Example
- The fielder caught out the batsman with an impressive dive.
- He was caught out on the boundary.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "catch out":
catch itcatch oncatch stepcaught on the hopcatch upfish outget the drop onfall into a trapcatch a coldtrip uptrap outcatch the suncatch a casepick up oncatch the buscaught behindjump outfall foulmiss outfetch upcall outtake the baitget taken inpull offsniff outsnap upwatch outcrap outget over onsneak upcatch one's breathpop outcatch and releaseslip outpick outduck out