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

But Tre White drained a buzzer-beating 3 for KU late in the opening half and the stage was set for the Tigers to play catch-up for the remainder of the afternoon. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025

The airport was crowded earlier Sunday as travelers arrived to play catch-up after more than 1,000 cancellations Saturday. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 30 Nov. 2025

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

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

Rhymes for play catch-up

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