follow-up
noun
the act of following up.
follow-up
American
[fol-oh-uhp]
/ ˈfɒl oʊˌʌp /
noun
follow-ups
plural
-
the act of following up.
-
an action or thing that serves to increase the effectiveness of a previous one, as a second or subsequent letter, phone call, or visit.
-
Also called follow. Journalism.
-
a news story providing additional information on a story or article previously published.
-
Also called supplementary story. Also called sidebar. a minor news story used to supplement a related story of major importance.
-
adjective
-
designed or serving to follow up, especially to increase the effectiveness of a previous action.
a follow-up interview; a follow-up offer.
-
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
-
to pursue or investigate (a person, evidence, etc) closely
-
to continue (action) after a beginning, esp to increase its effect
noun
-
-
something done to reinforce an initial action
-
( as modifier )
a follow-up letter
-
-
med a routine examination of a patient at various intervals after medical or surgical treatment
follow up
Idioms
-
Carry to completion. For example, I'm following up their suggestions with concrete proposals . Also see follow through .
-
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:
The follow-up to the brilliant “Tattoo You” landed with a thud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
More than 10,000 contacts of infected people are being monitored, at a follow-up rate of 82 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
A follow-up to her 2005 dance-music album, the singer’s latest release is her finest work in two decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
"If you are a medical professional, you will have gone through certain types of training, including the important principles of consent, carrying out procedures, follow-up and recognising complications," he adds.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The variables were clearly weighing heavily on him, though I knew better than to ask too many follow-up questions or insist that he walk me through the particulars.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
With negotiations at an impasse, Trump spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin before flying to Turkey and was to "follow up" with him after meeting Zelensky, a US official said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 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
The situation sounds unusual, so you should follow up with the SSA and request a detailed explanation — or perhaps even a correction if an error was made.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
"The Pima County Sheriff's Department continues to work closely with the FBI as investigators follow up on leads, review information, and pursue the facts surrounding this case," a spokesperson for the sheriff's department said.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
For years Francis had been trying to tell him what was important, but the more dispassionately he considered his life, the more he knew he had been wise to follow up his own hunches.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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 live support is better than I expected—a robust conversation with a talented facilitator asking good follow-ups.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Nolso, who suffers from high blood pressure, does her own medical follow-ups.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
Epstein’s calendar suggests Epstein was also a patient: The files include notations for blood draws and follow-ups over several years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
He read it, a few follow-ups, and comments from many other papers.
From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
