play catch-up

phrase

: 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

Jean-Claude Mputu, deputy director at Resource Matters, a nonprofit focused on natural-resource governance, said the US is having to play catch-up with China in DR Congo, and obtaining geological data is key to those efforts. — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 13 July 2026

Schools play catch-up on personal finance education Sports betting has grown rapidly since 2018, when the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that barred sports betting in most states. — Stephanie Dhue,sharon Epperson, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026

In the context of Murray’s league-wide reputation, this occasion represents more of a starting gun for the individual accolades to play catch-up. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026

Unlike Uber, which charged into cities around the world and forced regulators to play catch-up, Waymo is intentionally launching slowly, with government buy-in. — Billy Perrigo, Time, 30 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for play catch-up

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