following
Americannoun
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followings
plural
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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:
The department began conducting the inspections following the structural failure of the Pfizer building, which is being converted into apartments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Shares of Amazon and Microsoft surged following the companies’ results.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Both from trans-rights groups who think the guidance itself is wrong and from sex-based rights groups who will want to challenge any organisations who they believe are not following the code.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Marvell stock rises along with Corning, Lumentum, and Coherent following a report about plans to restrict Chinese data-center components.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
And yet the following morning it was Lieutenant Rahms himself who unlocked my cell door and escorted me to the hearing.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Algorithmic shifts mean posts from creators with small followings can go viral, while large followings no longer guarantee audience views.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
Creators can build large followings very inexpensively, he said, and their stories arrive further developed — which expedites the development and discovery process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
"Some of them have huge followings, some have tiny followings, but it's interesting to me," he says.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 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.
