How to Use catch-up in a Sentence

catch-up

1 of 2 adjective
  • Last night was a return to normalcy for SNL, and a game of catch-up.
    Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 12 Nov. 2023
  • Thompson returned an on-side kick 7 yards for a score as the Rattlers tried to play catch-up.
    Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2023
  • Practice was coming to a close, but not before a water break and catch-up with friends.
    Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2023
  • There could be an element of catch-up involved as well.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2023
  • Adding to the complexity of the math catch-up challenge is debate over how the subject should be taught.
    Ariel Gilreath, al, 29 Aug. 2023
  • With the poor shooting first half — only four field goals made —putting them in catch-up mode, the Eagles’ valiant rally feel short.
    Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024
  • Ryan Reynolds and his brother Terry had an unplanned catch-up.
    Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
  • All said, the catch-up payments stand to be a huge boon to gig workers and delivery drivers throughout the state.
    Brian Merchant, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023
  • The time off can be used for academic catch-up or enrichment.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023
  • What was supposed to be a quick catch-up turned into a delightful two-hour reunion.
    Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 6 Mar. 2024
  • Vanderbilt used the first-half momentum to extend its second-half lead by forcing the Tigers to play a game of catch-up.
    Jaden Lewis, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2024
  • Some of this stuff isn’t from this week, so consider this more of a while-you-were-holidaying catch-up issue.
    David Pierce, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2024
  • Millions of Americans may lose a chance to make a catch-up contribution next year.
    Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 25 July 2023
  • The email volley shifted the weekend vibe from a quick catch-up in pajama pants to something akin to a regular workday.
    Anne Marie Chaker, WSJ, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Store 8 was created when Walmart was scrambling to catch-up with Amazon.
    Andrew Binns, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
  • Drillers have historically walked away from wells at rates greater than the number of wells plugged, leaving the state in a perpetual game of catch-up.
    Lisa Cavazuti, NBC News, 19 Aug. 2023
  • Weeknights are spent at work happy hours and catch-up dinners with friends, while your weekends are booked up with weddings and family trips.
    Addison Aloian, Women's Health, 3 July 2023
  • But that return to learning and that catch-up didn’t happen quickly enough, and the result was a wobbly foundation that led to worsening gaps.
    Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 11 July 2023
  • Jason Bateman and his former Ozark costar Julia Garner having a catch-up.
    Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024
  • As part of that catch-up, hundreds of thousands of units debuted last year, with another million slated for 2024.
    Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024
  • With the tournament in catch-up mode because of hours-long fog delays on Thursday morning, the afternoon half of the draw had no chance of finishing on Friday.
    Tim Price, ajc, 1 Apr. 2023
  • Two weeks ago, the King and Sunak exchanged a phone call, which was more of a catch-up than the formal audience that the monarch and prime minister traditionally hold weekly.
    Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Two weeks ago, the King and Sunak exchanged a phone call, which was more of a catch-up than the formal audience that the monarch and prime minister traditionally hold weekly.
    Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
  • That leaves women in the same unenviable position, playing a hapless game of catch-up as the status quo remains.
    Jane Thier, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2023
  • People do that, turning striking into a catch-up at Runyon.
    Anonymous, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 May 2023
  • Find out if your retirement account offers catch-up contributions, and if so, be sure to take full advantage.
    Nina Derwin, Woman's Day, 5 June 2023
  • Wondering how much of a difference that catch-up contribution could make?
    Becca Stanek, The Week, 26 July 2023
  • Even though no one under the age of 40 watches just about anything on broadcast television, and even on catch-up digital platforms, there is still an audience there.
    Vulture, 2 May 2023
  • Unicef is urging countries to implement a catch-up vaccination blitz, an exceptional, one-time program to reach all the children between the ages of 1 and 4 who were missed.
    Stephanie Nolen, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2023
  • In more casual circumstances, like a catch-up between close colleagues, drafting an email during a meeting may be acceptable.
    Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
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catch up

2 of 2 verb
  • Overnight, the roots catch up and the leaves get perky again.
    Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022
  • But gravity is catching up with stocks in October, which tends to be a volatile month.
    Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Many districts have spent a share of their federal rescue dollars on tutoring, which is approved by the federal government as a tool to help students catch up.
    Ben Chapman, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2022
  • As a good friend and incredibly successful corporate CEO once advised me, don’t get caught up in your press clippings.
    Len Jessup, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
  • This game Henderson time to catch up to Cooper, and just as Cooper jumped for the catch, Henderson, with his back turned to the ball, jumped towards him.
    Irie Harris, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Currently, scientists are playing catch up with viral outbreaks by racing to create vaccines, sometimes after an outbreak is already out of control.
    Emma Egan, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2022
  • Corporate imprints were trying to catch up with the post-Nirvana alternative-rock boom and were signing small bands with promise—most now forgotten—at a dizzying pace.
    Mark Richardson, WSJ, 5 Sep. 2022
  • Some of the students who appear to have lost a lot during the pandemic will learn more quickly, be able to catch up, and have really successful educational trajectories.
    Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2022
  • School districts need to spend at least 20 percent of their money to help students catch up on academics, but the rest can go toward infrastructure projects, extra school nurses or masks for students to wear in classrooms.
    Perry Stein, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2022
  • Don’t be afraid to reach out to them for a call or a cup of coffee to catch up.
    Caitlin Pagán, Verywell Health, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Crafton got caught up in a wreck near Sanchez during the truck race.
    Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 1 Oct. 2023
  • But everyone seemed too caught up in the snacks and clothes to care.
    Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Size has yet to catch up to the Wakefield football team.
    Jake Levin, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Nov. 2022
  • At some point this is going to catch up to the Horned Frogs, but it's been a ton of fun to watch.
    Ralph D. Russo, ajc, 6 Nov. 2022
  • But states have been slow to catch up with these new drug products.
    Eric Berger, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2022
  • Still, in April, Wallen’s vocal load caught up with him.
    Melinda Newman, Billboard, 6 Dec. 2023
  • Already, Rashad had flunked out of eighth grade and gone to summer school to catch up.
    Emily Davies, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024
  • Why not use leap day to do a little bed rotting and catch up?
    Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2024
  • But by 2001, years of fraud began to catch up with Enron.
    Michael Murney, Chron, 7 Oct. 2022
  • Instead of doing a flashback to catch up, part of the idea was to give you a novel view of her.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Don't get caught up in trying to make movements or strides.
    Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2024
  • Tony and the painting needed to wait for the technology to catch up with them.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Of course the year is still early and there’s plenty of time for bigger rivals to catch up.
    Lauren Thomas, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2023
  • The Panthers spent most of last season playing catch up.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2024
  • During that trip, they got caught up in one of the most infamous episodes of the Vietnam War.
    Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Nov. 2023
  • To catch up to Trump, DeSantis has a long way to go, if polls are to be believed.
    Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 31 July 2023
  • Asked if the Fed’s big cut today reflects a need to catch up, Powell said no.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2024
  • Boy Meets World’s most beloved teacher is catching up with some of his old pupils.
    Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024
  • Hurts keeps the main thing the main thing, and Burrow gets caught up in the superstar treatment at the Super Bowl.
    Daniel Kohn, Spin, 6 Sep. 2023
  • At the fete, Vogue caught up with Nnadi and Malle on their favorite memories from the past year and what's to come in 2024.
    Concetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word '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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