catchup

1 of 4

noun (1)

catch·​up ˈke-chəp How to pronounce catchup (audio) ˈka- How to pronounce catchup (audio)

less common spelling of ketchup

: a seasoned pureed condiment usually made from tomatoes

catch-up

2 of 4

adjective

ˈkach-ˌəp How to pronounce catch-up (audio)
ˈkech-
: intended to catch up to a theoretical norm or a competitor's accomplishments

catch-up

3 of 4

noun (2)

: the act or fact of catching up or trying to catch up (as with a norm or competitor)
had to play catch-up
also : an increase intended to achieve catch-up

catch up

4 of 4

verb

caught up; catching up; catches up

transitive verb

1
a
: to pick up often abruptly
the thief caught the purse up and ran
b
: ensnare, entangle
education has been caught up in a stultifying mythologyN. M. Pusey
c
: enthrall
the … public was caught up in the car's magicD. A. Jedlicka
2
: to provide with the latest information
catch me up on the news

intransitive verb

1
a
: to travel fast enough to overtake an advance party
The soldier ran to catch up with his unit.
b
: to reach a state of parity (see parity sense 1) or of being able to cope
students who miss class have difficulty catching up
2
: to bring about arrest for illicit activities
the police caught up with the thieves
3
a
: to complete or compensate (see compensate sense 1) for something belatedly
catch up on lost sleep
b
: to acquire belated information
catch up on the news

Examples of catchup in a Sentence

Verb a young idealist who got caught up in the political fanaticism of the times completely caught up in opera ever since he saw La Traviata
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
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 If possible, take advantage of the ‘catch-up’ contribution limits for those 50 and older to help supercharge your savings. Amy Wagner and Steve Hruby, The Enquirer, 23 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 Store 8 was created when Walmart was scrambling to catch-up with Amazon. Andrew Binns, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 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 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 The catch-up comes weeks after Romo accidentally called Swift the wife of Chiefs' player Travis Kelce instead of his girlfriend, twice. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024 In recent months airline fares and prices for hotel rooms and rental cars also have come down, signs that consumers may be pulling back after a flurry of catch-up travel and other spending as the economy reopened from COVID. Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024
Noun
Those 55 and older can contribute an additional $1,000 as a catch-up contribution. Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2023 Next week's rain potential has shifted slower, so the deficit should grow until potential activity Thu-Sat for a stronger catch-up attempt. David Streit, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 Adient and Boeing Encore Interiors set about imagining an elevated short-haul business class: a lie-flat bed, loads of storage for luggage, minibar, library and space for another passenger to join you for a meeting or catch-up. Francesca Street, CNN, 14 Mar. 2023 That catch-up comes courtesy of Courteney Cox's reporter Gale Weathers and arrives after Ghostface has embarked on his latest murder spree. Clark Collis, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2023 Consider inviting someone over for a cathartic catch-up! Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2023 Preceding the inclusion revolution—and a great example of playing digital catch-up—is the issue of privacy. Niv Penso, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
Verb
Saturday Night Live host Josh Brolin teamed up with Heidi Gardner to play bank customers caught up in a heist who use their kinkiness to help get the robbers to abandon their mission. William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024 Kravitz recently graced the cover of PEOPLE in February, and Momoa, who caught up with PEOPLE to talk about his new ad for Guinness, couldn’t have been more effusive about his pal. Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 The original Bagman told the story of Benjo Malaya, a neighborhood barber who lands a job as the governor’s henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption and political turmoil. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Stars such as Katy Perry were among the many A-listers who caught up with Lilly Singh and Billboard‘s own Rania Aniftos on the red carpet. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 The officers caught up to Beck, who was parked nearby, still sitting in his car. Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 Haley was the last of 13 Republican challengers who had sought to defeat Trump, but were never able to catch up to his lead. Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 And the beguilingly cynical Loder quickly catches up with the facts. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 The ranking is relatively new—only a few months old at this point—so many beloved singers and groups are catching up. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catchup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

see catch entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1879, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1885, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of catchup was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near catchup

Cite this Entry

“Catchup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catchup. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

catchup

1 of 2

variant of ketchup

catch up

2 of 2 verb
1
: to pick up suddenly or quickly
caught the mouse up by the tail
2
: to go fast enough to get even with someone ahead
trying to catch up with the rest of the class
3
: to bring oneself up to date
have to catch up on my homework
catch up on the news
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