French word

attraper

Pronunciation

IPA/atʁape/

Meaning

  • verbcatch

Example

La police a attrapé le voleur.

The police caught the thief.

Illustration for attraper (catch)

More examples

J'ai attrapé un rhume hier.

I caught a cold yesterday.

Core concept

A hand or net closes around something moving, then the same idea extends to catching a cold, transport, or a chance.

Common phrases

  • attraper un rhume

    catch a cold

  • attraper le bus

    catch the bus

  • attraper la balle

    catch the ball

Similar words

prendre: To take an object and claim it as one's own.
tenir: To continue holding something that has been grasped.

Definition in French

Saisir ou capturer quelque chose ou quelqu'un, souvent rapidement ; s'emploie aussi pour attraper un rhume, un transport ou une opportunité.

Word origin

Attraper developed in Old French as atraper or atrapper, probably from a- combined with trappe, meaning a trap.

Usage tips

  • Attraper takes a direct object, as in attraper le voleur, and the object can be a person, illness, vehicle, or opportunity.

Other meanings

  • grabverb
  • contractverb

Opposites

Related words

  • attrapablecatchableadjective
  • attrapécaughtadjective

Word lists with this word