caught

Caught is the past tense and past participle of the verb catch. It denotes that something was seized or captured, or that a person or thing was affected by a condition or event. The sense is physical, as in catching a ball, and figurative, as in catching a break or catching a disease.

Grammatical use is irregular: caught marks the past tense (She caught the ball) and appears in perfect tenses (They have caught several fish; He had caught a cold). It also forms the passive voice (The thief was caught). In many constructions, caught contrasts with catch in the present tense or in infinitive forms (to catch).

Idioms and common expression include caught red-handed (in the act of wrongdoing), caught in the act, caught up in (engaged or entangled), and caught on camera (recorded visually). The related verb phrase catch up means to reach the same level or to update someone on progress; its participial form is caught up.

Other uses extend to perception and opportunity: Did you catch what he said? and catch my meaning? In transportation contexts, to catch a bus or train means to board it in time. In health contexts, to catch a disease means to contract it.

Etymology traces to the Germanic family of languages; catch and its irregular past tense reflect historical vowel alternations. Today, caught is widely used in English to express completed actions, completed experiences, and a broad range of idiomatic and collocational patterns.