follow-up
noun
the act of following up.
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follow-up emails.
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:
So why keep her much anticipated follow-up quiet?
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Aird and Cole have already begun planning follow-up studies to determine whether the results can be reproduced in several other types of cancer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
A few weeks later, a different inspector conducted a follow-up and pointed out new issues to resolve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
In a follow-up filing, the complainant cited FLAG’s timeline: a drawing originally set to run from January 2022 through December 2024 that had, by then, been pushed to run from December 2023 through January 2025.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 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
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
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
But when Yeller leaped away, the hog wouldn’t follow up.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
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
Clement waved away that concern, and Kavanaugh seemed satisfied, declining to ask any follow-ups.
From Slate ● Mar. 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
The two sides failed to agree a ceasefire at the May meeting and two follow-ups in June and July, brokering only a major POW swap involving thousands of prisoners.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
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.
