catalogue

Everyday

1. A catalogue is a list of things, often with pictures and details, such as goods in a shop or books in a library. tree →
2. A catalogue is a booklet or website showing things you can buy. tree →
3. To catalogue things means to make a careful, ordered list of them. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life a catalogue shows toys, clothes or furniture with prices; at school and in libraries a catalogue helps you find a book by title, author or subject. In science, people catalogue stars, plants or animals so they can be studied. In stories a «catalogue of disasters» means a long run of bad things. Phrases: «library catalogue», «toy catalogue», «look through the catalogue», «order from a catalogue».

Examples

• We looked through the toy catalogue and circled what we wanted. tree →
• Search the library catalogue to find books about sharks. tree →
• Mum ordered new curtains from a catalogue. tree →
• The museum has a catalogue of all its fossils. tree →
• Scientists catalogue every new kind of beetle they find. tree →
• Our class catalogued the shells we collected on the beach. tree →
• The catalogue says the bike costs 120 dollars. tree →
• It was a catalogue of mistakes from start to finish. tree →
• All were checked against a later edition of the book that had been retypeset, and references to other works were additionally checked against online library catalogues. tree →

Note

Countable noun: a catalogue, two catalogues. British, Australian and NZ spelling «catalogue»; American often «catalog». Verb forms: catalogued, cataloguing (UK); cataloged, cataloging (US). Stress on the first syllable: CAT-a-logue. A price in a catalogue can change, so check before you buy.