- [uncountable] the act of trying to reach the same level or standard as somebody who is ahead of you
- It was a month of catch-up for them.
- [countable, usually singular] an occasion when two or more people meet to discuss what has happened since the last time they met
- We must get together for a catch-up.
- I have a catch-up meeting with my manager at two.
- [uncountable] a service that allows you to watch television programmes on a computer or a special television after the time when they were originally broadcast
- catch-up TV
Idioms
See catch-up in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryplay catch-up
- to try to equal somebody that you are competing against in a sport or game or in business
- After our bad start to the season we were always playing catch-up.
- When it comes to digital technology, we're always playing catch-up with Japan.
Check pronunciation:
catch-up