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
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.
If the groomer still finishes by latching on, then that would be strong support for the hypothesis. Byphie Jacobs, science.org, 28 Oct. 2024 The former President posted on Truth Social eight times about it, and his campaign and supporters have also latched on, in a sharp contrast from the notable cordiality shown on stage between Trump’s running mate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minn. Koh Ewe, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024 In 2002, scientists isolated a strain of MRSA that had become resistant to vancomycin, the drug of choice for MRSA infections, by modifying part of its cell wall so that the drug could no longer latch on. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024 The recent attack ads have latched on to the controversy that roiled the state Capitol four years ago. Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024 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 14 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!