to catch step

6.7

To move at the same speed as another person

phrasal verb

: acompañar el paso

The children quickly caught step with the marching band in the parade.

Examples

In the dark hallway, she slowed down to catch step with her guide.
He tried to catch step with his friend as they climbed the stairs together.
She tried to catch step with him.
Can you catch step with me?
He tried to catch step with his friend as they climbed the stairs together.
In the dark hallway, she slowed down to catch step with her guide.
The children quickly caught step with the marching band in the parade.

Synonyms

to keep pace

vsto catch step

29 3.5

Move at the same speed as someone or something

focuses on matching walking rhythm rather than broad progress or development

to keep step

vsto catch step

1 3.2

Move at the same pace as other people when walking or marching

matches rhythm specifically in walking rather than any general rate

Antonyms

out of step

18 6.1

Not in agreement with the ideas or actions of others

How Synchronized

to keep step

1 3.2

to catch step

6.7

to keep up

507 2.8

lag

46 4.1

Surface Forms

catch step infinitive

catching step present participle

catches step third person singular

caught step past

caught step past participle

Morphology

catch + step

The meaning 'to match the pace or rhythm' is directly derivable from combining 'catch' (to reach or come up to) with 'step' (a pace or foot movement); a B1 learner who knows both words can infer this compositional sense. The pattern parallels common expressions like 'keep step' or 'catch up' and has clear cross‑linguistic counterparts, supporting a transparent rating.

Etymology

The phrase catch step comes from the simple image of trying to catch another person's step while walking, putting your foot down at the same time as theirs. So it came to mean 'to match the pace or rhythm of another person', especially when moving together.