View synonyms for catch-up

catch-up

[ kach-uhp ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an effort to reach or pass a norm, especially after a period of delay:
After the slowdown there was a catch-up in production.
an effort to catch up with or surpass a competitor, as in a sports contest.
an instance of catching up.

intended to keep up with or surpass a norm or competitor:
a catch-up pay raise to offset inflation.

catch up

tr to seize and take up (something) quickly
whenintr, often foll by with to reach or pass (someone or something), after following
he soon caught him up
intr; usually foll by on or with to make up for lost ground or deal with a backlog (in some specified task or activity)
tr; often passive to absorb or involve
she was caught up in her reading
tr to raise by or as if by fastening
the hem of her dress was caught up with ribbons

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

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play catch-up, Informal. 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.

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With Rick, I think the culture just lags behind great artists much of the time, and it takes time for it to catch up.

Thus the realm of control and regulations today suddenly finds itself playing catch up with creation and technology.

When I returned in October, the U.S. government and WHO were all trying to catch up.

Nat Hentoff explains why we're still playing catch up with this musical genius.

She used her time off work to run errands and catch up with friends.

We nearly played our horses out galloping around looking for you—after we'd gone a mile or so, and you didn't catch up.

He made no reply, but tried to catch up a group of officers who were moving on, very far in front of him.

Well, that's enough; but physics had come a long way since the classes I cut at Old Ugly, and there was a lot to catch up on.

I kept right busy over the indexes after Mr. Van Britt went away, just to give the boss a little chance to catch up with himself.

He tossed Boggs into the airlock and waited for the others to catch up.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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