follow-up
noun
the act of following up.
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follower-up.
follow-up
American
[fol-oh-uhp]
/ ˈfɒl oʊˌʌp /
noun
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:
After follow-up meetings with civil society figures and others, Guterres was to host the pair for a private dinner in the evening.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
“My AI is in the room during Zoom calls with clients. It’s taking notes, summarizing the meeting and writing follow-up emails.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
In a wide-ranging follow-up interview with the Los Angeles Times, Eustis addressed the path forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Kevin Sussman returns as the hapless owner of a comic-book store in a hilarious HBO Max follow-up to “The Big Bang Theory.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
She looked so pleased, I was a bit bummed I had no follow-up and was forced to revert to my own, less impressive repertoire of replies.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
The official said Trump would then "follow up" with Putin.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 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
That was part of Moderna’s efforts to diversify after struggles to follow up its successful Covid-19 vaccine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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
“I’ve not been able to follow up with every person who has wished on it. Have you?”
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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
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
Disney Animation Studios is having a big problem with sequels, and “Zootopia 2” joins “Moana 2” and “Frozen 2” on the list of disappointing follow-ups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
When we were little, we’d ask, “Why do people go to the bathroom?” or “Why do you need a job?” and then blitz them with follow-ups.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
