catch out
Third Person
catches out
Present Participle
catching out
Past Tense
caught out
Past Participle
caught out
1
to put someone in a difficult position
- The coach caught the players out by changing the game strategy at the last minute.
- The surprise quiz caught the students out, as they weren't prepared for such a difficult set of questions.
- Trying to hide the mistake didn't work; the auditor's scrutiny caught the error out.
- The challenging puzzle in the escape room caught the team out, and they couldn't solve it in time.
- She thought she could bluff her way through the presentation, but the detailed questions caught her out.
2
to find evidence that shows someone is being dishonest
- She catches out her brother sneaking into the house after curfew.
- The manager caught out the employee for falsifying the expense report.
- The detective caught the suspect out during questioning.
- I caught him out in a lie about his whereabouts.
Synonyms: