caught a cold

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiom

   Became infected with a common illness that causes sneezing and a runny nose.

   Grammar: Past tense of 'catch a cold'; the base form is 'catch a cold'.

   Patterns

   • caught a cold
   • caught a bad cold
   • caught a cold from someone

   She caught a cold after walking home in the rain.

   I caught a cold from my roommate last week.

   He caught a cold and had to miss the concert.

2. 2phraseidiomfigurative

   Suffered a minor illness with cold symptoms, often used figuratively for a setback.

   Grammar: Used in the past tense; the figurative sense is less common and usually clear from context.

   Patterns

   • caught a cold
   • caught a cold on something

   The company caught a cold when the market dropped.

   After the bad review, the restaurant caught a cold and lost customers.

Word forms

Common combinations

catch a cold

You'll catch a cold if you go out without a coat.

catch a bad cold

He caught a bad cold and stayed in bed for days.

catch a cold from someone

I think I caught a cold from my sister.

easily catch a cold

Children easily catch colds in winter.

Synonyms and how they differ

come down with a cold

More formal or neutral; it emphasizes the start of the illness, while 'catch a cold' focuses on getting it from someone or something.

get a cold

Informal and common in American English; 'catch a cold' is also very common and slightly more idiomatic.

Word family

cold noun

A common illness that makes you sneeze and have a runny nose.

catch verb

To get an illness from someone or something.

Commonly confused: caught a cold or have a cold?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “caught a cold”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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