catch up
To reach the same place or level as someone else after being behind, or to tell someone what they missed.
Meanings
To reach the same level, position, or standard as someone or something that was ahead of you.
"She missed two weeks of school but worked hard to catch up with the rest of the class."
"We will catch up and overtake them in science and technology."
— Nikita Khrushchev, speech to the Supreme Soviet, 1957
To do something you have missed or fallen behind on.
"I spent the weekend catching up on emails I'd ignored all week."
To meet someone again and share news after not seeing each other for a while.
"We must catch up properly over dinner — it's been months!"
To (eventually) have negative consequences reach someone who has been escaping them.
"Years of poor diet and no exercise finally caught up with him when he had a health scare."
'Catch up with' or 'catch up on' are the most common patterns. 'Let's catch up' is a very frequent social expression meaning to talk and share news after a period of absence. 'Catch up on sleep/work/news' means to do what you missed.
Commonly used with
Forms
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Synonyms
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