Get caught means to be found doing something wrong, or to end up in an unpleasant situation, such as rain or traffic. In the first meaning, someone is caught doing something that isn't allowed. In the second, you land in trouble by chance: get caught in the rain, get caught in traffic.
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get caught + -ing; get caught in + the rain/traffic/a storm; get caught by + person
- Take an umbrella, or you'll get caught in the rain on the way back.
- Two players got caught using their phones during the chess tournament.
- We got caught in heavy traffic and missed the start of the lecture.
What changed
First versionWe got under the rain on the way home and arrived soaking wet.
RevisionWe got caught in the rain on the way home and arrived soaking wet.
Got under the rain can seem logical, since rain falls from above, but English speakers don't say it. The phrase is get caught in the rain: as if the rain catches you on the way. Only this part changed: got under → got caught in.
Get caught up in means to get so absorbed in something that you lose track of time: I got caught up in the game and forgot to call you. Nobody is caught doing anything wrong here. Be caught means the same as get caught but sounds more formal, as in the news: The thief was caught on camera.
Your turn
He ___ cheating in the maths exam, so his result was cancelled.
Show the answer
got caught — He was the one who was caught, so you need the form that means someone caught him: got caught cheating. Caught without got would mean he caught someone himself, but the sentence doesn't say who, so it falls apart.
Describe a time you got caught in the rain or in traffic. Say where you were going and how it all ended.
Last Friday I got caught in a traffic jam on my way to the airport, but I still made my flight.
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