Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A receptacle or storage area for odds and ends.
  • noun Something that encompasses a wide variety of items or situations.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an enclosure or receptacle for odds and ends

Etymologies

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Examples

  • On January 22nd, an executive order was issued which would for the first time establish a so-called catchall export control regime that would deal with any civil or military high tech products that could be diverted for end use.

    Background Briefing On The Eu Meeting ITY National Archives 1998

  • This is a shallow 'catchall' phrase, not unlike that used by John MacCain on the campaign trail who portrays the insurgency (or multiple insurgencies) in Iraq as that of Al Qaeda.

    On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2008

  • It would have been even more except that I got my ISP to turn off the "catchall" email forwarding in the middle of it.

    9/30/06: A productive day in the word mines 2006

  • Liberty argued that, as part of the agreement, it maintained a "catchall" right to veto certain major transactions.

    Diller Wins a Court's Approval to 2008

  • "The [federal] omnibus clause is a 'catchall' provision, which is broadly construed to include a wide variety of corrupt methods."

    Fired US Attorney Calls on White House to "Produce" Bolten, Miers to Congress 2008

  • "The [federal] omnibus clause is a 'catchall' provision, which is broadly construed to include a wide variety of corrupt methods."

    Fired Attorneys Build Case Against Gonzales 2007

  • If you own your own domain name and set yourself up an additional "catchall" account don't use your main account, please!

    Use Gmail Generate Unlimited E-mail Addresses 2006

  • During the 1933 impeachment trial of Judge Harold Louderback, counsel for the Judge filed a motion to make the original Article V, the omnibus or "catchall" article, more definite.

    Trial Memorandum Of President William Jefferson Clinton ITY National Archives 1999

  • Dr. Rosen suggested a polygraphic sleep study, a kind of catchall used to broadly monitor a child, until specific problems are pinpointed.

    Cruel Deception Olsen, Gregg 1995

  • She impulsively threw in the last, so to speak a catchall, because the penultimate charge was more than a bit doubtful, Chuck’s not having performed unnaturally in bed, and in fact the previous one had slim support, for she had never seen his gun if indeed he had one.

    The Houseguest Thomas Berger 2008

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