1. Of friends or relatives, to update one another on life events that occurred since the last time seeing each other. It was so lovely catching up with you; it's been years since we were last together! You and I must really catch up with each other sometime soon.

2. To find (and, of police, to arrest) someone after a period of time trying to track that person down. The bank robber disappeared for almost a week, but the police caught up with him at the border of Mexico.

3. To make up the difference between oneself and someone or something, so as to be at an equal level, status, or point of progress. If we speed up, we might be able to catch up with the car ahead of us!

4. To meet again at a later point in time. We'll catch up with you after the movie.

5. To cause unpleasant consequences or have dire implications, especially after a certain period of time. You might like to party all night long now, but all that drinking is going to catch up with you someday. His criminal record as a teen caught up with him in job interviews as an adult.