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:
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi canceled his planned trip to Saudi Arabia following the strikes, per a report by Shafaq, a news outlet headquartered in Baghdad, the country’s capital city.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
“This could be the first evidence of green shoots following actions management has taken to improve organic growth,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The AI programs are following goals set by humans, in this case finding an answer to a question.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
She also said Greggs had no price rises planned after its breakfast, lunch and "big" deals went up in May, following multiple hikes last year.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
It seemed easier to run my fingers up and down the keys following the rise and fall of the notes on the page.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Influencers with large followings can still wield power as brand ambassadors, much like traditional entertainment celebrities do.
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.
