Eingeholt

Eingeholt is the past participle of the German verb einholen, meaning to catch up with or to close a gap, and by extension to overtake in sports or to regain lost time or progress. It is commonly used with forms of haben, as in ich habe eingeholt, der Abstand ist eingeholt, or der Verfolger hat den Vorsprung eingeholt.

Etymology and form: The verb besteht aus dem Stamm holen (to fetch) with the prefix ein- (in, up to a point of completion). In perfect tense the participle is eingeholt, with the separable-prefix verb typically behaving as a finite form in clauses like Ich habe ihn eingeholt.

Usage and contexts:

- In sports and travel, eingeholt describes catching up to a competitor or to a leading vehicle. Example: Der Verfolger hat den Vorsprung eingeholt. Ich habe den Bus eingeholt.

- In time management or progress, es can refer to regaining lost time or catching up on tasks. Example: Wir haben den Zeitverlust eingeholt (oder: Wir haben die verlorene Zeit eingeholt). In many contexts, the synonym aufholen is used, especially when the focus is on catching up rather than overtaking.

- As an attributive or predicative adjective, eingeholt can appear in phrases like ein eingeholter Abstand, describing a gap that has been closed, though such usage is more common in sports reporting or descriptive narration.

Related terms: einholen, aufholen, überholen. While überholen emphasizes overtaking in speed, einholen focuses on closing a gap or catching up, and aufholen is often used for catching up in broader, non-competitive contexts.

See also: einholen, aufholen, überholen, Rückstand.