Okuzeka
Business English vocabulary · Phone and Video Calls

Catch

Meaning in business english, with examples

/kætʃ/verbCore term

In business english, catch means: To hear or understand what someone says; usually used in the negative when you missed a word, a name or a number.

In Turkish: duymak, anlamak, tam duyamamak

How it is used

A polite way to ask for repetition on calls and in meetings: 'Sorry, I didn't catch that', 'I didn't catch your name'. It sounds more natural than 'I didn't understand', which can suggest a language problem.

Example sentences

  1. Sorry, I didn't catch the last part. Could you repeat the delivery date?

  2. I didn't catch your colleague's name. Was it Brian or Ryan?

Common collocations

  • I didn't catch that
  • didn't catch your name
  • catch what someone said
  • catch the last part
  • speak upTo speak more loudly so that others can hear you; also, to say openly what you think, especially about a problem.
  • break upOn a phone or video call, to sound unclear or cut in and out because of a weak signal or a poor internet connection.
  • background noiseSounds around a speaker, such as traffic, typing or other people talking, that make a call or recording harder to hear.
  • hold onTo wait for a short time, especially on the phone while the other person checks something or transfers the call.

More terms: Phone and Video Calls

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: