catch on — become popular
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To become popular or fashionable; to start being liked or used by many people.
Say it like a native
Textbook The new trend rapidly became fashionable among young people.
Native The trend really caught on with young people.
'Catch on' is the everyday verb for something becoming popular; the paraphrase is flat.
Pattern: catch on (with/to/among [group])
In use
- Electric scooters really caught on in the city last year.daily life
- In my opinion, online shopping caught on quickly because it saves people a lot of time.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The idea didn't catch up.
✓ The idea didn't catch on.
'Catch on' = become popular; 'catch up' = reach the same level — different meaning.
Common collocations
catch on (with)— with, quickly, never really, fast
Don't confuse it
'Catch on' (become popular) is different from 'catch up' (reach the same level) and 'catch on' (understand).
Related
- catch on (understand) — Another meaning of 'catch on' is 'understand'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.