CATCH-AS-CATCH-CAN Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

catch-as-catch-can

adjective

ˈkach-əz-ˈkach-ˈkan

as in random

lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern we're always having drop-in guests at our beachfront cottage, and sleeping arrangements tend to be catch-as-catch-can

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of catch-as-catch-can Here’s the writer Nick Paumgarten trying to drum up a Talk of the Town piece by wandering through the East Village and questioning random New Yorkers about what’s on their minds, a catch-as-catch-can method that, in its way, reflects the magazine’s democratic openness. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025 The old days of barnstorming teams playing catch-as-catch-can schedules was no longer an acceptable business model. — Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2024 Cone collection, done by local residents who are paid by the bushel, is a catch-as-catch-can kind of business. — Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-as-catch-can

Adjective

This horror movie mostly just smelled of fake fog from a community theater production and occasionally you were startled by random bursts of air, once again pulling you from the events on screen.

— Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
One episode explores several years in the life of a random Jason variant who simply tries to build a life for himself in a quiet world.

— Andrew Webster, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

While some of the color contrasts do articulate planar shifts, such as the candy-stripe lips (red for upper, pink for lower), many of the touches are arbitrary splotches that neither bolster a shape nor set another off.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The choices of what to put in each episode — and when to cut from one timeline to another — have sometimes felt arbitrary, and have often disrupted the story’s overall flow.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Browse Nearby Words

catchalls

catch-as-catch-can

catches

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“Catch-as-catch-can.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-as-catch-can. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of catch-as-catch-can

adjective

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