catchall

noun

catch·​all ˈkach-ˌȯl 

ˈkech-

variants or catch-all

plural catchalls or catch-alls

: something designed or serving to catch, hold, account for, or include miscellaneous items or a wide variety of things

The secret weapon for battling kitchen clutter in this case is a simple tray. … The trays act as catch-alls or places to neatly store anything that gets left out.

—Marie Rossiter

After a period of rapidly rising consumer prices, "inflation" is a catchall for economic woes.

—Edward Lotterman

—often used before another noun

a catchall bin

… long COVID, the catchall term for the sometimes debilitating health problems that can last for months or years after even a mild case of COVID-19.

—Lauran Neergaard

Examples of catchall in a Sentence

They used the drawer as a catchall for kitchen items.

“The arts” is a catchall for a variety of activities from painting to music.

Recent Examples on the Web

The name Ruby became the catchall reference for the scandal, which stained the country’s image abroad. —Emma Bubola, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2024

Use it in the living room as a couch-side catchall, upgrade your standard nightstands with a pair in pink, or double down on a spirited art display by using the Aglaé as a sculpture pedestal. —Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2024

Use a tortoiseshell tray on your vanity to hold jewelry or keepsakes, or place a tray on your console table as an elegant catchall for keys, wallets, and spare change. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2024

The acronym is a catchall for every type of potentially socially good investment. —Priya Parrish, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

catchall

noun

catch·​all ˈkach-ˌȯl 

ˈkech-

: something to hold a variety of odds and ends