catch-up

plural catch-ups · alternative catchup · alternative catch up

1. countableuncountableAn act of catching up or attempting to catch up.

   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.

   2021 March 24, Dr. Joseph Brennan, “Metallic marvels from rail's Iron Age”, in RAIL, number 927, page 57

2. countableuncountableAn amount, a thing, or a receipt or repetition of information that enables one to catch up.

   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.

   2006, James Watson, Anne Hill, Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies, page 303

   1 more example

   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.

   2015 August 16, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian