Past Tense of Catch | Meaning & Examples
The simple past tense of catch is “caught” (e.g., “The police caught the suspect yesterday”). The past participle of the verb “catch” is also “caught” (e.g., “They have caught the suspect,” “He was caught trying to enter his apartment building”).
As well as “seize from the air with your hands,” the verb catch has other meanings such as “discover someone doing something forbidden” and “manage to hear something.”
Gabriel found his presents; I caught him taking a peek.
I only caught the last part of what you said.
Catch past tense
The past tense of catch is “caught” (i.e, the simple past form). The past participle of “catch” is also “caught.”
| Grammatical form | Example in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Simple past tense | This morning I caught him trying to take some paper from our cupboard. |
| Present perfect tense | I think I’ve caught a cold. |
| Past perfect tense | He said he had caught the fish himself. |
| Passive voice | I felt like I was caught in a trap. |
| Modal verb + auxiliary verb “have” | I should have caught an earlier train. |
*Catched
Catched is not a standard form of the verb “catch.” The standard simple past and past participle form of the verb “catch” is “catched.” “Catch” is an irregular verb, and you don’t make these forms by adding “-ed” to the infinitive.
The verb “catch” follows the same conjugation pattern as the irregular verbs “bring,” “seek,” “teach,” and “think.”
- She threw the ball up in the air and caught it behind her back.
- She threw the ball up in the air and catched it behind her back.
- I’ve lost count of the times I’ve caught him stealing cookies from the jar.
- I’ve lost count of the times I’ve catched him stealing cookies from the jar.
Past participle of catch
The past participle of catch is “caught.” “Catch” is an irregular verb.
Sorry for being late, I was caught in traffic.
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of catch
- What does caught mean?
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Caught is the simple past tense of catch (e.g., “I caught the bus yesterday”) as well as the past participle of “catch.” (e.g., “Have you caught a cold?”).
Caught can mean “discovered doing something forbidden” (e.g., “We caught him spraying graffiti on the wall”) and “got on” a bus, train, or plane (e.g., “I was running late and only just caught my train”).
If you are “caught by surprise,” you feel surprised because something has happened that you did not expect (e.g., “Their engagement caught me completely by surprise; they’ve only known each other for a few months”).
Why not use Quillbot’s free Grammar Checker to ensure that you’re using phrases with the word “caught” correctly?
- Is it catched or caught?
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It is caught, not catched.
The simple past tense of catch is “caught,” not “catched” (e.g., “She didn’t drive; she caught the bus”).
The past participle of “catch” is also “caught,” not “catched” (e.g., “She says she’s caught a cold”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to avoid errors with irregular verbs like “catch” in your writing.
- Is catched a word?
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No, catched is not a word that you will find in most dictionaries.
The simple past tense of catch is “caught,” not “catched” (e.g., “He didn’t take his car; he caught the bus”).
The past participle of “catch” is also “caught,” not “catched” (e.g., “He says that he’s caught a cold”).
However, “catched” is used as a past tense and past participle form in some spoken dialects of English.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to avoid errors with irregular verbs like “catch” in your writing.
