following

[ fol-oh-ing ]
See synonyms for following on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a body of followers, attendants, adherents, etc.

  2. the body of admirers, attendants, patrons, etc., of someone or something: That television show has a large following.

  1. the following, that which comes immediately after, as pages, lines, etc.: See the following for a list of exceptions.

adjective
  1. that follows or moves in the same direction: a following wind.

  2. that comes after or next in order or time; ensuing: the following day.

  1. that is now to follow; now to be mentioned, described, related, or the like: Check the following report for details.

Origin of following

1
First recorded in 1250–1300, following is from the Middle English word folwing.See follow, -ing1, -ing2

Other words from following

  • non·fol·low·ing, adjective

Words Nearby following

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use following in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for following

following

/ (ˈfɒləʊɪŋ) /


adjective
    • (prenominal) about to be mentioned, specified, etc: the following items

    • (as noun): will the following please raise their hands?

  1. (of winds, currents, etc) moving in the same direction as the course of a vessel

noun
  1. a group of supporters or enthusiasts: he attracted a large following wherever he played

preposition
  1. as a result of: he was arrested following a tip-off

usage For following

The use of following to mean as a result of is very common in journalism, but should be avoided in other kinds of writing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012