play catch-up

idiom

: to try to reach the same position, score, etc., as a competitor after one has fallen behind

The team fell behind in the second inning and has had to play catch-up ever since.

The company has been trying to play a difficult game of catch-up ever since its competitor introduced the new product.

Examples of play catch-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sammi Ekmark Co-founder, Ink’d Greetings While many student athletes are forced to play catch-up after university, Ekmark says that the qualities that make a great athlete are the same qualities that make a great entrepreneur. —Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025

With the offseason already in full swing, DePodesta is already having to play catch-up with a franchise that has lagged behind the rest of baseball in terms of analytics and player development. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2025

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will have to play catch-up after the shutdown delayed major reports. —Rachel Barber, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

And that’s left Herbert exposed, having to play catch-up while running for his life. —Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 20 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for play catch-up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup