catch
kætʃ
You catch a ball, a train, and a cold the same way
The picture Something is going past, and your hand closes on it in time. Catch closes your hand on what is going past; miss lets it go by untouched.
Where the picture shows up in catch
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grab what is flying at you
Catch the ball!
kætʃ ðə bɔːl
Here — catch!
A ball flying at you stops dead inside your open palms.
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grab what is leaving
I need to catch the seven o'clock train.
aɪ niːd tuː kætʃ ðə ˈsevn əˈklɑːk treɪn
I have to make the seven o'clock train.
You squeeze through the closing doors of a train that was already leaving.
The train is leaving, so you do not board it — you catch it.
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the illness grabs you
I caught a cold last week.
aɪ kɔːt ə koʊld læst wiːk
I came down with a cold last week.
A cold floating around gets hold of you and will not let go for days.
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the word slipped past
Sorry, I did not catch your name.
ˈsɑːri aɪ dɪd nɑːt kætʃ jʊr neɪm
Sorry, I missed your name.
A name goes past your ear and your hand closes on nothing.
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grab the one running away
The police caught the thief that night.
ðə pəˈliːs kɔːt ðə θiːf ðæt naɪt
The police got the thief that night.
A running man's wrist ends up inside a police officer's grip.
All of it in one picture
Catch is a hand closing on something in motion. Close it on a ball and you have caught it; close it on a leaving train and you have made it; let a virus close on you and you have caught a cold; close on nothing and the name slipped by; close on a running man and the thief is caught. The same grab every time — the only question is what was moving.