caught or caught up with

[yeeway]

The context: I need to talk to Mike, my coworker, about something this afternoon, but I didn't know Mike was going to leave the office after lunch. Fortunately when I came back from lunch I saw him outside the buidling and was about to leave. So I got the chance to tell him that thing.
I came back to the office and told my coworker Ann about it. I said "I caught Mike downstairs.". Ann said actually I meant " I caught up with Mike downstairs." Is what Ann said the same as what I meant? "Catch up with" usually is used when you haven't seen somebody for a while, true?

[pidr1nhu]

According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
catch up with somebody:
- If something bad that you have done or that has been happening to you catches up with you, it begins to cause problems for you:
His lies will catch up with him one day. (CAUSE PROBLEMS)
- If someone in authority catches up with you, they discover that you have been doing something wrong and often punish you for it:
They had been selling stolen cars for years before the police caught up with them. (PUNISH)
Regards

[RonBee]

"I caught someone" suggests something physical. (Think ballgames.) If you have been looking for somebody and you have found them you have caught up with them.
~R

[Mordant]

'Playing catch up' is a phrase meaning always coming from behind, as in every game this season we have let a goal in early and we end up playing catch up.

You can catch up with someone later, to get more details on something briefly discussed.

You can catch up on your studies if you are getting a bit behind.

I finally caught up with my lecturer who I have been meaning to see for some time.

I caught my co-worker downstairs and managed to tackle him about......

I caught up with my co-worker downstairs etc etc

[BobK]

Originally Posted by pidr1nhu

According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
catch up with somebody:
- If something bad that you have done or that has been happening to you catches up with you, it begins to cause problems for you:
His lies will catch up with him one day. (CAUSE PROBLEMS)
- If someone in authority catches up with you, they discover that you have been doing something wrong and often punish you for it:
They had been selling stolen cars for years before the police caught up with them. (PUNISH)
Regards

Another meaning of 'catch up with' is 'draw level with/overtake, after a long chase'.
Eliot Ness spent many years chasing Al Capone, but he finally caught up with him in... (whenever).


(The length of the chase can apply either to duration - as above - or to distance: Damon Hill was chasing Schumacher for 23 laps, but he finally caught up with him.)

(And as some other post mentioned, something you've done - and thought you'd got away with - can catch up with you.)

b