follow-up
noun
the act of following up.
follow-up
American
[fol-oh-uhp]
/ ˈfɒl oʊˌʌp /
noun
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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:
Her two albums with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, “Trio” in 1987 and the follow-up “Trio II” in 1999, are regarded as modern classics.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
She recorded 1987’s acclaimed “Trio” album with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, and it spun off four top 10 country hits; both “Trio” and its follow-up, 1999’s “Trio II,” won Grammy awards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Asked as a follow-up if she had any thoughts at all on DACA, Graham said, “Not right now.”
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
She will have her first follow-up MRI scan in November, and is likely to need one every six months until post-puberty or into her early adulthood, as the condition is hormone-related.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The reporter came back with an immediate follow-up: “Would that match be under the authority of FIDE?”
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
“Unfortunately, a lot of time, it might end there for a while. We’ll follow up a couple of times, and then it’s up to them. All we can do is advise and educate them.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
“If we can try to determine an individual or group, in working in coordination with the FBI and other agencies, we will definitely follow up with criminal charges.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
The official said Trump would then "follow up" with Putin.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Oyarzabal is not the only reason why Spain are serious contenders to follow up their Euro 2024 triumph with the World Cup trophy.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
No one bothers to follow up with destiny, though.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
"We have some follow-ups, so we hope to take back to Washington, back to Delhi... and we look forward to building this relationship forward."
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
These improvements remained evident during follow-ups at three and six months, suggesting that the psychological effects were stable over time.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
"People don't know when to expect a reply or who else can help, and that uncertainty is what leads to the 'just-in-case' follow-ups," says Charlotte Davies, a career expert at Linkedin.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
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
Miele saw Hayes only twice in six months, for routine follow-ups.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
