following
Americannoun
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a body of followers, attendants, adherents, etc.
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the body of admirers, attendants, patrons, etc., of someone or something.
That television show has a large following.
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the following, that which comes immediately after, as pages, lines, etc..
See the following for a list of exceptions.
adjective
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(prenominal) about to be mentioned, specified, etc
the following items
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( as noun )
will the following please raise their hands?
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(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:
—Asian equity markets were mostly higher Wednesday, as investors looked for opportunities following steep overnight losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
With no friends, no home and no money, the following months were largely spent on the streets.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
CBS News is adding several high-profile journalists to “60 Minutes” as new executive producer Nick Bilton begins reshaping the iconic newsmagazine following months of upheaval.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Trying to get Madjo and 19-year-old midfielder Hemmings to listen to instructions appeared difficult with neither player following through on Emery's desire for them to pull wider.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
He had stopped following me around and didn’t have any more bounce to him than an Ozark flint rock.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Professional creators with huge followings can no longer guarantee their audience will see the ads they post, while the work of creators with tiny followings can go viral if their content resonates enough, said Archer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Both films came from digital-native storytellers in their 20s who arrived with sizable online followings already attached.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
"Some of them have huge followings, some have tiny followings, but it's interesting to me," he says.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
He’s part of a small group of exorcist influencers, Catholic priests who draw their own independent followings from the internet by promising to let the public in on the darkest workings of the devil.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 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.
