make up ground
idiom
: to move faster in order to come closer to someone or something ahead
She was trailing in the race, but she was beginning to make up ground.
—often used figurativelyThe campaign is trying to make up ground by advertising heavily in key states.
Examples of make up ground in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The two were splitting independents almost evenly, which is where Collier will need to make up ground in order to catch Patrick, UT-Tyler political scientist Mark Owens said.
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Dallas News, 19 Sep. 2022
Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020 when air travel collapsed and have struggled to make up ground this year when air travel rebounded faster than almost anyone had expected.
—Tali Arbel, Chron, 27 Dec. 2021
Put into a deep hole, the Buckeyes' offense was unable to get into a rhythm and make up ground in a game that had drifted out of control.
—Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2021
Others, such as Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and USC’s Caleb Williams, can use this week to make up ground with quality performances in big games.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 13 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for make up ground
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Dallas News, 19 Sep. 2022
Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020 when air travel collapsed and have struggled to make up ground this year when air travel rebounded faster than almost anyone had expected.
—Tali Arbel, Chron, 27 Dec. 2021
Put into a deep hole, the Buckeyes' offense was unable to get into a rhythm and make up ground in a game that had drifted out of control.
—Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2021
Others, such as Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and USC’s Caleb Williams, can use this week to make up ground with quality performances in big games.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 13 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for make up ground
Cite this Entry
“Make up ground.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20up%20ground. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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