What does "catch" mean in programming?

catch is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.

Definition

A keyword that defines a block of code to run if an error is thrown in the corresponding try block. The catch block receives the error object.

Example

"try { await fetch(url); } catch (err) { console.error(err); }"

Related terms

try
finally
throw
exception
error

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