catch-up

[kach-uhp]

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.

adjective

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

   a catch-up pay raise to offset inflation.

catch up

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of catch-up¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

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]

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

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]

Example Sentences

The Census Bureau report is among the first batch of catch-up stats from the government as agencies including Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics work through a backlog of numbers that couldn’t be published during the six-week shutdown.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"When the dust settles Jude will know it was the right decision to bring him off. What it is with Jude, he thinks at the minute he is playing catch-up," Coady told 5 Live.

Read more on BBC

I think he feels he is playing catch-up.

Read more on BBC

From then on, Italy have been playing catch-up, with flawless Norway winning their opening seven qualifiers, scoring 33 goals in the process, including 14 for Haaland.

Read more on BBC

Their catch-up turns into a rueful airing out of long-simmering resentments in a way that shakes Jay to his core, confirming some of his own worst suspicions about himself.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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