catch and release

Meanings

nouncatch and release (uncountable)

uncountablefishingA variety of angling where the fish are released after capture, as a conservation measure.
uncountablelawThe immigration policy of releasing illegal immigrants while they await a hearing, rather than detaining them.
uncountableintellectual propertyThe practice of a patent holding company buying a patent, offering a license to its members, and then selling or donating the patent after a certain period.
uncountablegovernmentThe practice by police of apprehending someone but then letting them go without making an arrest.
"That's an order. And I want you to personally go into that clubhouse over there and arrest somebody." "For what?" "Something illegal, preferably. But anything will do. Catch and release is fine. Just . . . go catch. […]
2018, Derek B. Miller, American By Day, page 208
1 more example
"While it's catch-and-release for domestic terrorists in antifa and BLM, the people who breached the Capitol on January 6 are being abused. Some even being held for 23-hours-a-day ^([sic]) in solitary confinement," [Majorie Taylor] Greene said in May 2021.
2022, Nick Adams, The Most Dangerous President in History
uncountablearchaeologyThe practice of replacing artifacts in their original location after examining and cataloguing them.

Indonesian tangkap dan lepas

tangkap dan lepasfishing: variety of angling where the fish are released after capture

Malay tangkap dan lepas

tangkap dan lepasfishing: variety of angling where the fish are released after capture

Cite this entry

APA

catch and release. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20and%20release

MLA

“catch and release.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20and%20release. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “catch and release,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20and%20release.