phrasal verb · neutral
get caught up in
UK/ɡet kɔːt ʌp ɪn/US/ɡɛt kɔt ʌp ɪn/GET·caught·UP·in
to become involved in something, often unexpectedly or unwillingly
Examples
“She got caught up in the protests even though she only went to watch.”
“Don't get caught up in office gossip — it rarely helps your career.”
“I got caught up in preparing for exams and forgot to answer his email.”
Band 8 sentence
“I briefly got caught up in the controversy online, but I soon realised it wasn't worth my time.”
Collocations
- get caught up in a scandal / get caught up in the moment
- get caught up in work
Word family
Common mistakes
I got caught up with the protests.→I got caught up in the protests.
I got caught up on work and forgot.→I got caught up in work and forgot.
Say it for a higher band
5become involved in→6get involved in→7+get caught up in
Synonyms
become involved in
get swept up in
Easily confused
get swept up in
“She got swept up in the excitement of the crowd.”
Related words
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In get …
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