catch-all

noun

Any place or repository where things are placed indiscriminately or without careful thought.

“The category was a catch-all for items that were not filed elsewhere.”

OriginEnglish catch ← Middle English cacchen ← Anglo-Norman cachier →
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Meanings

nouncatch-all (plural catch-alls)

plural catch-alls · alternative catchall

  1. Any place or repository where things are placed indiscriminately or without careful thought.

    The category was a catch-all for items that were not filed elsewhere.

    2 more examples

    If you're not careful, the entrance table will quickly become a catch-all for things that come in the door.

    Cancer is a catch-all term that encompasses a wide variety of diseases.

  2. abbreviationbroadlyellipsisEllipsis of catch-all term.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
big tentbouillabaissebric-a-braccocktaildribs and drabsfarragogalimatiasgallimaufrygrab bagheinz 57hodgepodgejob lotmiscellanymishmashmixed nutsoddmentsodds and sodsolioomnium-gatherumragbagsmorgasbordwelter

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kaptós
  4. Proto-Italic*kaptos
  5. Latincaptus
  6. Vulgar Latin*captiāre
  7. Old Frenchchacier
  8. Anglo-Normancachier
  9. Middle Englishcacchen
  10. Englishcatch
  11. Englishcatch-all

From catch + -all.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian за всякакви неща
  • за всякакви нещаused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
Finnish kaikenkattava, yleinen
  • kaikenkattavaused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • yleinenused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • yleiskäsiteused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
French attrape-tout, fourre-tout
  • attrape-toutused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • fourre-toutused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
German Sammelplatz, Auffangbecken
  • Sammelplatzused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • Auffangbeckenused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • Sammel-used to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • Sammelbegriff (catchall phrase oder term)used to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • Sammelbeckenused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
Polish wytrych
  • wytrychused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
Spanish comodín, factótum
  • comodínused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
  • factótumused to hold, include, or describe a broad range of things
Cite this entry
APA

catch-all. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch-all

MLA

“catch-all.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch-all. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “catch-all,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch-all.

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