catch·all
| \ ˈkach-ˌȯl
, ˈkech-\
, ˈkech-\
Definition of catchall
: something that holds or includes odds and ends or a wide variety of things
a catchall tray dyspepsia is a catchall term for stomach discomfort
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
Chamoy is the catchall term for the bright red condiments one finds rimming micheladas, dripping from paletas, coating fruit slices and drizzled over tostilocos. — Hadley Tomicki, Los Angeles Times, "The ‘King of Gummies’ built his empire with chamoy and candy," 23 Aug. 2019 There’s even sets of chic boxes to use as catchalls atop dressers or tuck into media stands to hide miscellaneous items like remotes and routers. — Madeline Fass, Vogue, "13 Stylish and Practical Ways to Organize Any Space, Nook, or Cranny!," 15 July 2019 In the case of former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling, the court ruled in 2010 that to convict someone of honest-services fraud, a charge prosecutors have used as a corruption catchall, there must be evidence of bribery or kickbacks. — Corinne Ramey, WSJ, "Was ‘Bridgegate’ Criminal, or Just Dirty Politics?," 29 June 2019 Since this space is primarily a functional one, Kantrowitz ensured lots of storage, and added a table as a catchall for keys or mail. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "5 Renovation Secrets That Pay Off, According to an Expert Home Stager," 26 Feb. 2019 Asian carp is a catchall term for several invasive carp species that are damaging native aquatic populations. — USA TODAY, "Glowing rock fight, Statehouse stash, hometown hero: News from around our 50 states," 15 July 2019 Rule 28 is something of a catchall provision for unwanted, but not expressly prohibited, misconduct. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "A Look at the Possible Consequences of Brad Marchand's Tactic of Licking Opponents," 6 May 2018 The court's 5-4 decision — an unusual alignment in which new Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the four liberal justices — concerns a catchall provision of immigration law that defines what makes a crime violent. — NBC News, "Trump Supreme Court pick sides with liberals in immigration ruling against administration," 17 Apr. 2018 The court's 5-4 decision — an unusual alignment in which new Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the four liberal justices — concerns a catchall provision of immigration law that defines what makes a crime violent. — Jessica Gresko, chicagotribune.com, "Supreme Court strikes down part of immigration law as too vague to be enforced," 17 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catchall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for catchall
catchall
noun
English Language Learners Definition of catchall
: something that holds or includes many different things
See the full definition for catchall in the English Language Learners Dictionary