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
The cheaper cost of borrowing should propel more economically sensitive sectors to play catch-up as the economic expansion continues.
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Beth Kindig, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Harden, entering his first full season with the Clippers, has fully integrated himself after last year’s early season trade, which initially left him to play catch-up in learning his role in the offense and creating chemistry.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33, Philadelphia Eagles 16: Baker Mayfield and the Bucs built a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and the Eagles were forced to play catch-up the rest of the game.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 2024
Intel’s partnership with AWS is part of the chipmaker’s attempt to play catch-up.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play catch-up 
Beth Kindig, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Harden, entering his first full season with the Clippers, has fully integrated himself after last year’s early season trade, which initially left him to play catch-up in learning his role in the offense and creating chemistry.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33, Philadelphia Eagles 16: Baker Mayfield and the Bucs built a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter and the Eagles were forced to play catch-up the rest of the game.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 2024
Intel’s partnership with AWS is part of the chipmaker’s attempt to play catch-up.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 16 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play catch-up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play catch-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Play catch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20catch-up. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
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