catch on

(phrasal verb) to understand something after trying for a long time

Example Sentence:

Shelly, took a long time to catch on to the joke that everyone was laughing about.

It took me 2 years of living in Canada before I caught on to the rules of hockey. Now I love it!

Parent: How is my little Timmy doing at school?
Teacher: He is very smart! Timmy is always catching on to difficult concepts long before the other students!
Parent: Nice!

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