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:
OTTAWA—Canadian retail sales look to have rebounded in August following a broad retreat in spending the month before.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The Met Police said officers were called to North Road, Highgate, at about 08:15 BST following reports of a collision involving a pedestrian and car.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
High-volume production began this April following several years of delays.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Seth Lehman, a senior director at Fitch Ratings who has been following the train’s delays, said the consecutive 30-day testing on the train is expected to start in the coming weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
I’ve already got number two down, but following number one and three haven’t gone so well.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Parties like Reform and Restore will be very aware of the potential power that activists like Thomas and Robinson can now wield with their large social media followings.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 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
In addition to free jets, influencers with followings as large as McHale’s could get between $50,000 and $150,000 for brand collaborations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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.
