What does catchphrase mean?
A catchphrase is a distinctive phrase — often short, witty, or striking — that becomes closely identified with a particular person, character, organization, or campaign through frequent repetition. Familiar from comedy, television, advertising, and politics, a good catchphrase functions almost like an audible signature: audiences recognize the speaker by it, sometimes before they appear on stage. The term carries no strong positive or negative connotation on its own; whether a catchphrase delights or irritates depends on how skillfully it is deployed. Related terms include slogan and motto, but a catchphrase is specifically tied to habitual personal use rather than to a cause or institution. The word entered English in the nineteenth century, combining the verb 'catch' — in its sense of seizing attention — with 'phrase'. It remains a lively, everyday word, essential vocabulary for anyone writing about performance, media, marketing, or public life.
nounA distinctive phrase, especially one associated with a particular person, character, or group, that is repeated so often it becomes widely recognized. More broadly, a memorable slogan or saying that captures attention or identifies its user.
- A well-known phrase repeatedly used by a particular person, especially a performer or fictional character.
- A popular slogan or memorable expression associated with a campaign, product, or movement.
"The comedian's catchphrase drew laughter from the audience before he had even finished the sentence."
"“We have ways of making you laugh” became the show's best-known catchphrase."
"The candidate's campaign catchphrase appeared on banners, buttons, and bumper stickers across the state."
Standard pluralization applies; the plural typically appears in surveys of a performer's repertoire or in discussions of slogans across campaigns.
"The book catalogued the catchphrases of fifty years of British sitcom."
Many of history's most famous catchphrases were never scripted — actors improvised them, and audiences did the rest.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of catchphrase
Catchphrase was formed in English during the first half of the nineteenth century from 'catch' (Middle English cacchen, from Old North French cachier, ultimately from Latin captare, 'to chase or seize') combined with 'phrase', which English had borrowed from French and earlier from Latin phrasis and Greek phrásis, meaning 'speech or way of speaking'. It belongs to a family of English coinages using 'catch' figuratively to mean something that seizes or holds attention, alongside catchword and catchy. No direct cognates exist outside English compound formation, though both of its components have deep Romance and classical roots.
How catchphrase is actually used
The word is neutral in register and common in journalism about entertainment, politics, and advertising. In plural use, catchphrases refers to multiple such phrases. It is sometimes used loosely for any oft-repeated remark, but careful writers reserve it for phrases strongly identified with their user.
Easily confused with catchphrase
A catchword is a word or phrase used to attract attention or identify an idea (originally a printing term), whereas a catchphrase is a full phrase habitually repeated by a specific person or character.