Dictionary

catch up en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable) Alternative spelling of catch-up.
   alt of catch-up

Forms

catch up en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Meanings

1. (transitive) To pick up suddenly.
   • Oscar stopped the horses and waved to Carl, who caught up his hat and ran through the melon patch to join them. 1913, Willa Cather, O Pioneers!, chapter 3:
2. (qualifier:chiefly passive voice, transitive) To entangle (something).
   • The speaker wires have got caught up with the wires from the lights.
3. (broadly, qualifier:chiefly passive voice, transitive) To involve in (something); to embroil.
   • That's why she got caught up in addiction.
4. (intransitive) To be brought up to date with news.
   • I hadn't seen her for so long. It was great to catch up.
5. (transitive) To bring (someone) up to date with the news.
   • After Alice's vacation, her boss caught her up on policy changes.
   • I have to miss the end of the meeting, but you can catch me up later.
6. (ambitransitive) To reach something that had been ahead.
   • I'll go ahead and you can catch me up later.
   • I'll go ahead and you can catch up with me later.
   • But you run / And you run to catch up with the sun / But it's sinking 1973 March 1, Roger Waters, “Time”, in The Dark Side of the Moon, performed by Pink Floyd:
   • Rose was three seconds behind, but managed to catch up with the race leader and eventually won.
7. (intransitive) To compensate for or make up a deficiency.
   • After a slow start, they've been catching up lately.
   • The sales quarter ends soon and we've got to try to catch up.
8. (intransitive, of some inevitable phenomenon, with with) To finally overtake (someone or something) after a long period of approaching (them or it).
   • You are reminded that old age is catching up with you each time you read in the newspaper that another athlete whom you idolized when you were young just passed away. 2008, Bardas Benetbunk, Musings of One Thousand and One Nights of Solitude, page 61:
   • The episode begins with a lifetime of junk food, beer and no exercise catching up with Homer in the form of painful heart contractions. 2012 June 17, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Homer’s Triple Bypass” (season 4, episode 11; originally aired 12/17/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
   • His years of drinking were catching up with him.

Forms

Relateds

play catch-up

Translations (51)

ru догна́ть (to reach something that had been ahead) · es poner al tanto de (to bring someone else up to date with the news) · pl dogonić (to reach something that had been ahead) · pl nadgonić (to reach something that had been ahead) · az yetişmək (to reach something that had been ahead) · sv komma ikapp (to reach something that had been ahead) · he הִדְבִּיק (to reach something that had been ahead) · hu beér (to reach something that had been ahead) · fi vaihtaa kuulumisia (to be brought up to date with news) · nl bijpraten (to bring someone else up to date with the news) · bg грабвам (to pick up suddenly) · es ponerse al tanto de (to be brought up to date with news) · fr atteindre (to reach something that had been ahead) · fi saada kiinni (to reach something that had been ahead) · uk надолу́жувати (to compensate for or make up a deficiency — see also make up) · es ponerse al nivel de (to reach something that had been ahead) · ru догоня́ть (to reach something that had been ahead) · pt alcançar (to reach something that had been ahead) · az çatmaq (to reach something that had been ahead) · fr prendre des nouvelles (to be brought up to date with news) · sv hinna ifatt (to reach something that had been ahead) · es ponerse al corriente (to be brought up to date with news) · es enterar (to bring someone else up to date with the news) · la adīpiscor (to reach something that had been ahead) · de einholen (to reach something that had been ahead) · es pasarle / purrirle / apurrirle factura (to finally reach something inevitable) · ru наверста́ть (to compensate for or make up a deficiency — see also make up) · ja 追い付く (to reach something that had been ahead) · de aufholen (to be brought up to date with news) · es emparejar con (to reach something that had been ahead) · sk dohnať (to reach something that had been ahead) · he הִשִּׂיג (to reach something that had been ahead) · fi kuroa välimatka umpeen (to reach something that had been ahead) · fr rattraper (to reach something that had been ahead) · pt recuperar o atraso (to reach something that had been ahead) · es ponerse al día (to be brought up to date with news) · fi saavuttaa (to reach something that had been ahead) · tr yetişmek (to reach something that had been ahead) · es enredar (to entangle) · ru навёрстывать (to compensate for or make up a deficiency — see also make up) · tr yakalamak (to pick up suddenly) · cs dohánět (to reach something that had been ahead) · hu utolér (to reach something that had been ahead) · cs dohnat (to reach something that had been ahead) · sv hinna ikapp (to reach something that had been ahead) · uk надолу́жити (to compensate for or make up a deficiency — see also make up) · sk doháňať (to reach something that had been ahead) · es alcanzar (to reach something that had been ahead) · es poner al día (to bring someone else up to date with the news) · es enterarse (to be brought up to date with news) · es poner al corriente (to bring someone else up to date with the news)