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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

Investor’s Business Daily identified Aug. 4 as a follow-through day for the S&P 500, confirming a new market uptrend.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

The toll of caregiving, however, gets lost on many friends and loved ones, who may have good intentions but limited follow-through, she said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

A long ball was played forward and Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj leapt and punched the ball, but then on the follow-through his fists clattered into the head of Canada striker Tani Oluwaseyi.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 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

I like to follow through on my plans, so we headed to the Citadel outlets where we bought him rainbow sandals, dress shirts and black jeans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

With Netanyahu’s annual trip to the United Nations General Assembly in September looming, it was time for the mayor to decide whether he would actually follow through with this.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026

Even as bond yields rose, some on Wall Street were skeptical that the Fed would follow through with hikes.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

Due to her bereavement, she said she did "not follow through with the appeal" to the Planning Inspectorate, which dismissed her initial application in 2022 as she "did not attend".

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

This was unlikely to be one of those times when our parents issued a punishment and then forgot to follow through on it.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon