catch red-handed

verb

To discover or capture someone in the act of committing a crime.

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Meanings

verbcatch red-handed (third-person singular simple present catches red-handed, present participle catching red-handed, simple past and past participle caught red-handed)

present singular third person catches red-handed · participle present catching red-handed · participle past caught red-handed · past caught red-handed

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo discover or capture someone in the act of committing a crime.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
catch in 4k

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 當場捕獲 /当场捕获
  • 當場捕獲 /当场捕获 (dāngchǎng bǔhuò)capture someone in the act of committing a crime
Dutch op heterdaad betrappen
  • op heterdaad betrappencapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Finnish jäädä rysän päältä kiinni
  • jäädä rysän päältä kiinnicapture someone in the act of committing a crime
French prendre la main dans le sac
  • prendre la main dans le saccapture someone in the act of committing a crime
German auf frischer Tat ertappen
  • auf frischer Tat ertappencapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Hungarian rajtakap, tetten ér
  • rajtakapcapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • tetten ércapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Indonesian menangkap basah, tertangkap tangan
  • menangkap basahcapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • tertangkap tangancapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Italian cogliere in flagrante, cogliere sul fatto
  • cogliere in flagrantecapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • cogliere sul fattocapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • cogliere con le mani nel saccocapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • cogliere con il sorcio in boccacapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • cogliere con le mani nella marmellatacapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Japanese 現行犯で捕まえる
  • 現行犯で捕まえる (genkōhan de tsukamaeru)capture someone in the act of committing a crime
Polish łapać na gorącym uczynku, złapać na gorącym uczynku
  • łapać na gorącym uczynkucapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • złapać na gorącym uczynkucapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Portuguese pegar no flagra
  • pegar no flagracapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Romanian prinde cu mâța-n sac
  • prinde cu mâța-n saccapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Russian поймать с поличным, заста́ть на ме́сте преступле́ния
  • поймать с поличным (pojmatʹ s poličnym)capture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • заста́ть на ме́сте преступле́ния (zastátʹ na méste prestuplénija)capture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • поймать за руку (pojmatʹ za ruku)capture someone in the act of committing a crime
Swedish ta på bar gärning, ta med fingrarna i syltburken
  • ta på bar gärningcapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • ta med fingrarna i syltburkencapture someone in the act of committing a crime
  • ta med fingrarna i kakburkencapture someone in the act of committing a crime
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: catch red-handed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.