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:
De Palma’s follow-up opened nine years later with a cast stacked with rising Hollywood stars, including Scarlett Johansson, Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
The researchers also note that some participants may have switched from one medication to another during the follow-up period.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
After its follow-up drive went nowhere, Louisiana made the mistake of punting to Mosley, who took off sprinting to his right and didn’t stop until he reached paydirt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
“There’s nothing more important in securing a follow-up visit than the experience from the current visit,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
She was making a follow-up appointment with Headmaster Clarkson when I approached the guidance counselor outside Mr. Clarkson’s office.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
At every event, Kaminetsky handed out her contact information in case shoppers wanted to follow up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“That by itself then creates a bit of pressure to follow up with actions rather than just have it be words,” Dudley said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
"There's a lot of stuff for us to follow up," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“There may be loopholes that folks find in this one, and they have to follow up and close those loopholes,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
I would score and take the lead, and then she would follow up aggressively winning a point.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
"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
While the original papers claimed advances for quantum computing and made their way into top scientific journals, the individual follow-ups could not make it past the editors at those same journals.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026
When the films are complete, directors are asked to come up with stories for possible follow-ups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 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.
