follow-up
noun
the act of following up.
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Follow+Up.
follow-up
American
[fol-oh-uhp]
/ ˈfɒl oʊˌʌp /
noun
follow-ups
plural
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the act of following up.
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an action or thing that serves to increase the effectiveness of a previous one, as a second or subsequent letter, phone call, or visit.
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Also called follow. Journalism.
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a news story providing additional information on a story or article previously published.
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Also called supplementary story. Also called sidebar. a minor news story used to supplement a related story of major importance.
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adjective
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designed or serving to follow up, especially to increase the effectiveness of a previous action.
a follow-up interview; a follow-up offer.
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of or relating to action that follows an initial treatment, course of study, etc..
follow-up care for mental patients; a follow-up survey.
follow up
British
verb
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to pursue or investigate (a person, evidence, etc) closely
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to continue (action) after a beginning, esp to increase its effect
noun
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something done to reinforce an initial action
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( as modifier )
a follow-up letter
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med a routine examination of a patient at various intervals after medical or surgical treatment
follow up
Idioms
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Carry to completion. For example, I'm following up their suggestions with concrete proposals . Also see follow through .
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Increase the effectiveness or enhance the success of something by further action. For example, She followed up her interview with a phone call . [Late 1700s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of follow-up
First recorded in 1920–25; noun, adj. use of verb phrase follow up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In a wide-ranging follow-up interview with the Los Angeles Times, Eustis addressed the path forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Listening to a pop icon’s latest album: Charli XCX is back with the follow-up to her stratospheric hit record Brat.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Kevin Sussman returns as the hapless owner of a comic-book store in a hilarious HBO Max follow-up to “The Big Bang Theory.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The trust said follow-up scans confirmed the condition had been successfully treated and her seizures had reduced significantly.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
No matter whether the index rises or falls, a follow-up letter is sent, but only to the 16,000 people who initially received a correct “prediction.”
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
A review into social services at Bridgend County Borough Council revealed concerns over children's service with follow up inspections suggesting improvements were still needed.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The official said Trump would then "follow up" with Putin.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
In 2022 the case involving Bernadette’s death was reopened for authorities to follow up on allegations reported by a former youth group member.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
That was part of Moderna’s efforts to diversify after struggles to follow up its successful Covid-19 vaccine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
I shuttled between meetings with various department heads, worked with the staffs of city commissioners, and was dispatched sometimes to different neighborhoods around Chicago to follow up on personal complaints received by the mayor.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Moreover, the follow-ups indicated to Disney that other Pixar franchises could be a viable revenue stream, no matter the public’s response to the films.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
The British agent had not appeared in a game title for more than a decade before "First Light" -- with follow-ups to 1997 Nintendo 64 mega-hit "Goldeneye" leaving most players neither shaken nor stirred.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
Clement waved away that concern, and Kavanaugh seemed satisfied, declining to ask any follow-ups.
From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2026
Zemeckis hopes the audience will ask the follow-ups that Marty ignores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
We were to go home but would have to come back several times for follow-ups.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
