catch-as-catch-can

adjective

ˈkach-əz-ˈkach-ˈkan

Synonyms of catch-as-catch-can next

: using any available means or method : hit-or-miss

a catch-as-catch-can system that relies on borrowed judges—

Patricia Nealon

Examples of catch-as-catch-can in a Sentence

we're always having drop-in guests at our beachfront cottage, and sleeping arrangements tend to be catch-as-catch-can

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Prison is a kind of black-comedic version of a factory: in contrast to the catch-as-catch-can prisons of preindustrial times, everyone is assigned a role and compelled to conformity through regimentation or isolation. —

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024 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 Their thorny flawed catch-as-catch-can humanity now stands in stark contrast to the majority of movies that have been spun off from comic books over the last 40 years. —

Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of catch-as-catch-can was in 1833

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Catch-as-catch-can.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catch-as-catch-can. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

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