catch-up

See also: catchup and catch up

English

Alternative forms

• catchup, catch up

Etymology

Deverbal from catch up.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkæt͡ʃ.ʌp/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.ʌp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Homophone: ketchup

Noun

catch-up (countable and uncountable, plural catch-ups)

1. An act of catching up or attempting to catch up.
   • 2021 March 24, Dr. Joseph Brennan, “Metallic marvels from rail's Iron Age”, in RAIL, number 927, page 57:

     Rapid expansion of Britain's transport network during the 'railway mania' of the 19th century meant that the testing of engineering principles often played catch-up to the ambitions of progress.

2. An amount, a thing, or a receipt or repetition of information that enables one to catch up.
   • 2006, James Watson, Anne Hill, Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies, page 303:

     Catch-up is also available on the TV set using Digitial^[sic] TV Services: BT Vision offers BBC, ITV, 40D and Demand 5 via the TV Replay service.

   • 2015 August 16, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian‎^[1]:

     They have shown their staying power before and it would be daft to write them off but it must be disturbing, nonetheless, for Mourinho that his team are five points behind already and locked in a game of catch-up against the side that has just subjected them to a rare, old-fashioned beating.