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• catch-up
  catch-up

  noun

  an effort to reach or pass a norm, especially after a period of delay.
• catch up
  catch up

  verb

  (tr) to seize and take up (something) quickly

catch-up

American  

[kach-uhp] / ˈkætʃˌʌp /

noun

1. an effort to reach or pass a norm, especially after a period of delay.

   After the slowdown there was a catch-up in production.

2. an effort to catch up with or surpass a competitor, as in a sports contest.

3. an instance of catching up.

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adjective

1. intended to keep up with or surpass a norm or competitor.

   a catch-up pay raise to offset inflation.

idioms

1. play catch-up, to make a special effort to overcome a late start, a liability, or the advantage a competitor has.

   After Russia launched the first space satellite, other countries had to play catch-up.

catch up British  

verb

1. (tr) to seize and take up (something) quickly

2. to reach or pass (someone or something), after following

   he soon caught him up

3. (intr; usually foll by on or with) to make up for lost ground or deal with a backlog (in some specified task or activity)

4. (tr; often passive) to absorb or involve

   she was caught up in her reading

5. (tr) to raise by or as if by fastening

   the hem of her dress was caught up with ribbons

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catch up More Idioms  

1. Suddenly snatch or lift up, as in The wind caught up the kite and sent it high above the trees . [First half of 1300s]

2. Also, catch up with . Come from behind, overtake. This usage can be either literal, as in You run so fast it's hard to catch up with you , or figurative, as in The auditors finally caught up with the embezzler . [Mid-1800s]

3. Become involved with, enthralled by, as in We all were caught up in the magical mood of that evening . [Mid-1600s]

4. Also, . Bring or get up to date, as in Let's get together soon and catch up on all the news , or Tonight I have to catch up with my correspondence . [First half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of catch-up

1835–45, noun, adj. use of verb phrase catch up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catch-up catch up

That post was one of many Stevens tells in the campaign’s final weeks demonstrating that she was the one trying to play catch-up.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

For account holders 55 or older who are not enrolled in Medicare, an additional catch-up contribution of $1,000 is allowed.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

“This is the wake-up call. There has to be a catch-up in terms of investments,” said ING’s Brzeski.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

There was also a big catch-up audience, with the BBC's highlights streamed 5.9m times on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app, and on the BBC Football YouTube channel.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

On my way out the door, the teacher handed me a huge folder: the worksheets I would need to do as catch-up work.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

Among his questions about outdated details of my life, he suggested we catch up sometime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

We leave Cuatrolatas, catch up, and follow the music.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

Meta is currently lagging behind in the AI race and trying to catch up to Anthropic and OpenAI, which have the most advanced AI models.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

"You go in on Saturday or Sunday just to catch up or make sure things aren't broken," the person said.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

“Does she see a squirrel?” asks Nadia, running to catch up.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

Related Words

• get back
• reclaim
• recoup
• regain
• repair
• rescue
• restore
• resume
• retrieve
• salvage