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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But in its scramble to play catch-up, the company also released a pair of AI products that initially proved embarrassing. —

Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 27 Dec. 2024 Advertisement After running a season-low 11 times last week while trying to play catch-up against the Buccaneers, the Chargers stayed committed to the ground attack with 28 carries Thursday. —

Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024 The blueprint stands clear: mix tech with community love, scale smart, and watch beauty's old guard play catch-up to the new brands like LAMIK that are redefining the industry. —

Kori Hale, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 They just got eaten up and fell way too far behind to play catch-up. —

Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for play catch-up

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“Play catch-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20catch-up. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

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