catalog
catalog — noun
1. a complete collection of items — such as books, products, works of art, or cours
a complete collection of items — such as books, products, works of art, or courses — arranged in a particular order (alphabetically, by category, etc.) so that each item can be found easily.
Yan checked the library's online catalog before heading to the shelf for books she needed.
library catalog — very common collocation
Noa looked through the seed catalog for a tomato suited to his region.
The museum printed a catalog of every painting in its permanent collection.
Christopher found the part number by looking through the manufacturer's parts catalog.
The university publishes a catalog of all courses offered each semester.
文法句型
catalog + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
This is the standard US spelling. In British English, the word is usually spelled 'catalogue'.
常見錯誤
2. a book, magazine, or website that shows the goods or services a company sells, u
a book, magazine, or website that shows the goods or services a company sells, usually with pictures and prices.
Meera flipped through the furniture catalog and circled a sofa she wanted to buy.
furniture / fashion / garden catalog — common product types
Joaquín ordered a desk from an office catalog and got it three days later.
Élise cut pictures from the garden catalog to plan her backyard flower beds.
Trang left the toy catalog on the coffee table for the children to flip through.
文法句型
catalog + of + noun phrase
3. a series of connected unpleasant or unfortunate events that happen one after ano
a series of connected unpleasant or unfortunate events that happen one after another.
The city faced a catalog of problems after the storm, including flooding and power outages.
a catalog of problems / disasters / setbacks
Hamza's recovery was followed by a catalog of setbacks that kept him from the race.
The report listed a catalog of errors made during the construction of the bridge.
Yasmin's first week was a catalog of disasters, from lost files to missed meetings.
文法句型
a catalog + of + noun phrase (negative events)
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the pattern 'a catalog of + negative plural noun'. The sense is metaphorical, extending the idea of a list to unpleasant events.
catalog — verb
1. to collect and organize information about a group of related items into a system
to collect and organize information about a group of related items into a systematic list or record.
Trang spent the summer cataloging every plant species in the national park.
The team is cataloging rare books in the university library's basement collection.
catalog + rare books / manuscripts — common object
Hiro cataloged his vinyl record collection using a free app on his phone.
The archivist has been cataloging historical photographs donated by the mayor's family.
文法句型
catalog + noun phrase
用法筆記
The object of this sense is always a collection of items — you catalog 'books', 'specimens', or 'photographs', not a single item.
2. to record a specific item in a catalog or list so that it can be found or refere
to record a specific item in a catalog or list so that it can be found or referenced later.
Each new book is cataloged by a librarian before it reaches the shelves.
passive: be cataloged — commonly used in passive voice
Mark cataloged the invoice under office supplies in the company's expense system.
catalog + noun + under + category
The auction house cataloged the necklace at a starting bid of five thousand dollars.
Iris cataloged every receipt from the trip to prepare her reimbursement request.
文法句型
catalog + noun phrase
catalog + noun phrase + under + noun phrase
catalog + noun phrase + at + price
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on entering a single item into an existing catalog, rather than creating a catalog from scratch.
3. to sort and label items — such as documents, specimens, or data — according to a
to sort and label items — such as documents, specimens, or data — according to a set of categories or descriptive features.
The scientist cataloged the fossils by geological period and species type.
catalog + by + classification feature
Researchers cataloged the survey responses into five main categories for analysis.
catalog + into + categories
Yan cataloged the samples according to their chemical properties and origin.
The librarian cataloged the manuscripts by date, author, and subject matter.
文法句型
catalog + noun phrase
catalog + noun phrase + by + noun phrase
catalog + noun phrase + into + noun phrase
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (COMPILE A LIST): sense 1 focuses on creating a comprehensive inventory of all items in a domain (e.g., cataloging a museum's entire collection). This sense focuses on sorting items into labeled categories or groups — the items may already be known, and the emphasis is on the classification system rather than the act of building a list from scratch.
4. to appear in a catalog with a specified selling price — used without a direct ob
to appear in a catalog with a specified selling price — used without a direct object, with the price following 'at' or 'for'.
The new smartphone catalogs at seven hundred dollars in the online store.
catalog + at + price — intransitive pattern
Mark checked the ski equipment that catalogs for over a thousand dollars.
This model of guitar catalogs at half the price of the competitor's version.
The art print in the museum shop catalogs for only twenty dollars.
- sell for
more common in everyday language; 'catalog at' is more specialized and formal
文法句型
catalog + at + price
用法筆記
This is the only intransitive sense. The subject must be the item being sold, not a person. It is most often found in commercial descriptions and price lists.