sequel

American  

[see-kwuhl] / ˈsi kwəl /

noun

• sequels
  plural

1. a literary work, movie, etc., that is complete in itself but continues the narrative of a preceding work.

2. an event or circumstance following something; subsequent course of affairs.

3. a result, consequence, or inference.

   Synonyms:

   end, outgrowth, upshot, aftermath

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sequel British  

/ ˈsiːkwəl /

noun

1. anything that follows from something else; development

2. a consequence or result

3. a novel, play, etc, that continues a previously related story

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sequel Cultural  

1. A narrative or dramatic work complete in itself but designed to follow an earlier one. Through the Looking-Glass is a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sequels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sequel

1375–1425; late Middle English sequel ( e ) < Latin sequēla what follows, equivalent to sequ ( ī ) to follow + -ēla noun suffix

Explanation

A sequel is a continuation or part two. The Empire Strikes Back and Toy Story 2 are sequels. Many successful movies have sequels. The most common meaning of sequel is for a book or movie that follows another, but the term can be used for just about anything that comes second. We might say of an actress who begins her career with a bang, "What will she do for a sequel?" A football team that wins a championship may have trouble with the sequel — trying to win another one next year. All sequels have a tough challenge — living up to the original.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sequel sequels

The new season will continue their romance and will be based on the sixth book, “The Long Game,” which reads as a direct sequel to “Heated Rivalry.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The 81-year-old was also well known for playing nurse Megan Roach in the BBC's Casualty from 1986, making her final appearance in 2010; and was the Central Park pigeon lady in 1992's Home Alone sequel.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Then check out its 2025 sequel “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” which also just landed on Hulu.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

The sequel tells you what that omission was worth: It was 2021, nearly a decade after the seizure, before Indiana finally gave up on keeping Timbs’ car.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

“That sequel or whatever to that book you liked.”

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

It’s a marriage of many appealing aspects for any streaming service: Commercially successful stories with a built-in fan base that come with distinctive lead characters to turn into many more sequels and spinoffs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The 1993 blockbuster dominated his filmography and sparked a series of sequels and reboots - including the recent Jurassic World series, in which he reprised his role as palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The industry has long been criticized for leaning too hard on sequels, franchises and remakes led by well-seasoned directors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

With the successes of “Inside Out 2” and “Zootopia 2,” sequels have proved to be dependable releases for Disney and Pixar in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026

But I’d also played hundreds of other classic text adventure games that year, including all of Zork’s sequels, and so most of the details of the game had now faded in my memory.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• conclusion
• ending
• sequence
• series