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
To adapt to the district’s remote learning policies, which lasted from the start of the pandemic to the following spring, East Aurora School District 131 had to rapidly play catch-up on technology access.
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Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
As a business owner, a cash balance plan is an amazing way to reduce your tax liability and play catch-up for retirement.
—David Rae, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Experts say reading is also a harder subject to play catch-up on when students fall behind, and how teachers are trained for this problem needs to change.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
The worst-case scenario is that low transmission throughout autumn was sheer luck, and over the next few weeks the virus will rapidly play catch-up.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for play catch-up
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Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
As a business owner, a cash balance plan is an amazing way to reduce your tax liability and play catch-up for retirement.
—David Rae, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Experts say reading is also a harder subject to play catch-up on when students fall behind, and how teachers are trained for this problem needs to change.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
The worst-case scenario is that low transmission throughout autumn was sheer luck, and over the next few weeks the virus will rapidly play catch-up.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for play catch-up
Cite this Entry
“Play catch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20catch-up. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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