- present participle of follow.
following
Americannoun
-
followings
plural
-
a body of followers, attendants, adherents, etc.
-
the body of admirers, attendants, patrons, etc., of someone or something.
That television show has a large following.
-
the following, that which comes immediately after, as pages, lines, etc..
See the following for a list of exceptions.
adjective
-
-
(prenominal) about to be mentioned, specified, etc
the following items
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( as noun )
will the following please raise their hands?
-
-
(of winds, currents, etc) moving in the same direction as the course of a vessel
noun
preposition
Usage
The use of following to mean as a result of is very common in journalism, but should be avoided in other kinds of writing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of following
First recorded in 1250–1300, following is from the Middle English word folwing. See follow, -ing 1, -ing 2
Explanation
Following means "coming immediately after," as in: "My birthday was Monday. The following day, I returned the following gifts: a purple cowboy hat, a stuffed aardvark, and huge rubber duckie." To follow is to go after. If you’re watching a TV show, when it’s over you might stay on the couch and watch the following show. As a noun, following can refer to a group of fans or a bunch of people who follow someone in the sense of believing in them. A band might have a large following, and the leader of a cult also has a devoted following. On tests, you're likely to see following used to introduce information or answer choices, as in "Which of the following triangles is an isosceles triangle."
Vocabulary lists containing following
STAAR Grade 6 Reading: The Language of the Test, List 1
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 7
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STAAR Grade 5 Reading: The Language of the Test, List 1
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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:
Saudi Arabia has also resumed exports from both its Gulf and Red Sea coasts after repairing part of the damage to its East-West Pipeline following an attack last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The shrinking of these cells following exercise indicates that the tissue is moving toward a healthier metabolic state even before changes in body weight become visible.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Antonelli will also likely have another back-of-the-grid penalty when the upgraded engine is introduced, following his previous one at the Italian Grand Prix, which he won from 19th on the grid.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
There are initial signs of more heat toward the end of next week and into the following week, according to Kittell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Glancing over my shoulder to make sure they’re not following me, I break into a run, dart left down an alleyway and around the corner, increasing the distance between me and him.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Many of these musicians are relatively unknown, but they’ve developed devoted followings by steadily releasing tracks, marketing them cheaply on social media and touring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
While countless influencers offer tips for growing online audiences, little training exists for how to actually deal with managing the stress of having large followings.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
In the same way that regional brands like Shake Shack and In-N-Out have maintained cult followings for their novelty, Cane’s has no doubt benefited from the same kind of rarefied air.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Roehampton requires minimum rankings in major games for the scholarship, but will consider applications from those close to the threshold who meet other criteria, such as having large followings on streaming platforms like Twitch.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
The different Nationalist groups, the “Buy Black!” forces, and others like that; dozens of their step- ladder orators were trying to increase their followings.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
