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• follow-through
  follow-through

  noun

  the completion of a motion, as in the stroke of a tennis racket.
• follow through
  follow through

  verb

  sport to complete (a stroke or shot) by continuing the movement to the end of its arc

follow-through

American  

[fol-oh-throo, -throo] / ˈfɒl oʊˌθru, -ˈθru /

noun

1. the completion of a motion, as in the stroke of a tennis racket.

2. the portion of such a motion after the ball has been hit.

3. the act of continuing a plan, project, scheme, or the like to its completion.

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follow through British  

verb

1. sport to complete (a stroke or shot) by continuing the movement to the end of its arc

2. (tr) to pursue (an aim) to a conclusion

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noun

1. sport

   1. the act of following through

   2. the part of the stroke after the ball has been hit

2. the completion of a procedure, esp after a first action

follow through Idioms  

1. In sports such as tennis or golf, carry a stroke to completion after striking the ball. For example, You don't follow through on your backhand, so it goes into the net . [Late 1800s]

2. Carry an object, project, or intention to completion; pursue fully. For example, She followed through on her promise to reorganize the department . Also see follow up , def. 1.

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Etymology

Origin of follow-through

First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase follow through

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

follow-through follow through

She added that the firm has generally seen solid follow-through across breakouts, with rallies often seen for stocks passing their 200-day moving averages.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

It has demonstrated strong follow-through, posting weekly gains of 20% and 25% in the first weeks after earnings.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

We are going to take a new long position if SPX can prove that the big rally on April 8 has follow-through.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026

“When the deadline passed without explanation or follow-through, that hope turned into something closer to despair,” said Shawn VanDiver, who runs the advocacy group Afghan Evac and closely monitors the situation at Camp As Sayliyah.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

This is like a Major League Baseball swing, with a wind-up and full follow-through.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

But rising diesel prices, renewed tensions in the Middle East and Friday’s hotter-than-expected consumer inflation report have convinced traders and economists that Warsh will follow through on his tough talk and raise rates.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

But whether these governments follow through on these admittedly vague pledges, and whether that results in material change in the Middle East, is at least partly beside the point.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

"We are finally seeing a follow through to intervention by some meaningful expectation on the policy front."

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

The fight has also exposed the realities Mamdani faces now that he is in office to follow through on campaign promises when faced with fiscal constraints.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

It seems he can’t follow through on his threat to not speak to me until I do what he demands.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam