latch on
phrasal verb
latched on; latching on; latches on
British, informal
: to begin to understand something
What he was saying was complicated, so it took me a while to latch on.
Examples of latch on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The reason whooping cough can bring on such a gnarly, well, cough in the first place is because of how B. pertussis wreaks havoc: These bugs latch on to the cilia (a.k.a. tiny hairlike protrusions) on cells in your respiratory tract and ooze toxins, triggering inflammation and swelling.
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Erica Sloan, SELF, 13 Feb. 2025
Four days after he was released by the Cleveland Guardians last May, Laureano latched on with Atlanta and was a productive fill-in with reigning MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. on the sidelines.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
That is to say, grief latches on to what’s available.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
With Matthew Pennington in close attendance, the best option seemed to be a flick in the hope fellow substitute Mo Faal could latch on to the ball through the middle.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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Erica Sloan, SELF, 13 Feb. 2025
Four days after he was released by the Cleveland Guardians last May, Laureano latched on with Atlanta and was a productive fill-in with reigning MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. on the sidelines.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
That is to say, grief latches on to what’s available.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
With Matthew Pennington in close attendance, the best option seemed to be a flick in the hope fellow substitute Mo Faal could latch on to the ball through the middle.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for latch on
Dictionary Entries Near latch on
Cite this Entry
“Latch on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/latch%20on. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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