catch up

You learn what has happened recently, often by talking to someone you have not seen for a while.

• Let’s catch up over lunch.
• We caught up on family news yesterday.
• Have you caught up with Sam since he returned?

How to use it: catch up with someone (I caught up with an old friend yesterday.); catch up on something (Let’s catch up on the latest news.)

Similar words: get up to date

Common phrases: catch up with someone, catch up on news, catch up over coffee

You reach someone ahead of you or reach the same level of progress as others.

• Wait! I need to catch up.
• He caught up with the other runners.
• After missing a month of school, she worked hard to catch up.

How to use it: catch up with/to someone/something (She ran faster to catch up with her brother.)

Similar words: draw level, get level

Opposites: fall behind

Common phrases: catch up with someone, catch up to someone

Someone becomes deeply involved in a situation, often without meaning to.

• She got caught up in the excitement.
• Innocent people were caught up in the fighting.
• Don’t get caught up in office gossip.

How to use it: be/get caught up in something (He got caught up in an argument.); catch someone up in something (The excitement caught us up in the celebrations.)

Similar words: involve, embroil

Common phrases: catch up someone, catch up the crowd

You tell someone the latest news or explain what they have missed.

• Please catch me up on the news.
• Her manager caught her up on the changes.
• I’ll catch you up after lunch.

How to use it: catch someone up on something (Can you catch me up on yesterday’s meeting?)

Similar words: update, fill in, brief

Common phrases: catch someone up, catch the team up

Something becomes twisted together with, or trapped in, another thing.

• The net caught up several loose ropes.
• My hair got caught up in the branches.
• The two cables had become caught up with each other.

How to use it: be/get caught up in something (Her scarf got caught up in the wheel.); be/get caught up with something (The cable is caught up with the other wires.)

Similar words: entangle, tangle up

Opposites: untangle

Common phrases: catch up something, catch up the wires

You quickly pick something up, often with a sudden movement.

• She caught up her bag and ran.
• He caught the baby up in his arms.
• Catching up his coat, Daniel hurried outside.

How to use it: catch someone/something up (She caught the child up in her arms.)

Similar words: snatch up, scoop up

Common phrases: catch up a child, catch up a bag