# catch up

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/catch-up
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to reach someone ahead

phrasal verb · CEFR B1

to reach the same place as someone who started before you or is moving faster.

For teachers: to reach the same position or level as someone or something that was previously ahead. Often used with the preposition 'with'.

- I started running late, but I managed to catch up with my friends at the park.
- The lead cyclist had a significant advantage, but the peloton worked together to catch up with him before the final sprint.

Usage: Often used as 'catch up with someone' or 'catch up to someone'.

### 2. to get the latest news

phrasal verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to talk to someone you have not seen for a while to find out what has happened in their life.

For teachers: to exchange information or news with someone after a period of separation.

- Let's have a coffee next week so we can catch up properly.
- After five years apart, they spent the entire evening catching up on each other's careers and family lives.

Usage: Usually takes the preposition 'with'.

### 3. to finish overdue work

phrasal verb · CEFR B1

to do something that you should have done earlier.

For teachers: to perform tasks or activities that have been delayed or neglected. Usually takes the preposition 'on'.

- I need to stay late at the office to catch up on some paperwork.
- Having been away for a fortnight, the manager spent his first day back catching up on a mountain of urgent correspondence.

Usage: Commonly followed by 'on' plus a noun phrase like 'work', 'sleep', or 'emails'.

### 4. to be involved

phrasal verb · CEFR B2

to be involved in a situation, often one that is unpleasant or unexpected.

For teachers: to become involved or entangled in a situation, typically involuntarily. Frequently used in the passive voice.

- He didn't mean to break the rules; he just got caught up in the excitement of the crowd.
- Innocent bystanders were caught up in the political unrest that swept through the capital during the election cycle.

Usage: Usually appears in the passive form 'get caught up in'.

### 5. a meeting to talk

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a meeting or conversation between people who have not seen each other for a while.

For teachers: an occasion for catching up or receiving an update. Often written with a hyphen as 'catch-up'.

- We had a quick catch up over lunch to discuss the new project.
- The weekly catch-up provides a vital opportunity for department heads to align their strategies and address any emerging bottlenecks.

## Examples

- I need to catch up on my emails.
- We haven't seen each other in years, so let's have coffee and catch up this weekend.
- Developing nations are investing heavily in technology to catch up with more industrialized economies in the global market.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: distinguish between the physical sense of 'reaching someone' and the social sense of 'sharing news'; the social sense is extremely common in everyday conversation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.