follow-up

1 of 3

noun

fol·​low-up ˈfä-lō-ˌəp How to pronounce follow-up (audio)
1
a
: the act or an instance of following up
b
: something that follows up
2
: maintenance of contact with or reexamination of a person (such as a patient) especially following treatment
The surgeon scheduled a follow-up with his patient a week after the surgery.
3
: a news story presenting new information on a story published earlier
A few days after the story broke, the newspaper printed a follow-up.

follow-up

2 of 3

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or being something that follows up
follow-up action by the policeFrank Faulkner
had a few follow-up questions after the interview
2
: done, conducted, or administered in the course of following up persons
follow-up care for discharged hospital patients

follow up

3 of 3

verb

followed up; following up; follows up

transitive verb

1
: to follow with something similar, related, or supplementary
following up his convictions with actionG. P. Merrill
She followed up her first novel with a second one.
2
: to maintain contact with (a person) so as to monitor the effects of earlier activities or treatments
All patients were followed up clinically for four months.
3
: to pursue in an effort to take further action
the police are following up leads

intransitive verb

: to take appropriate action
follow up on complaints

Examples of follow-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Phoenix was seen in a follow-up video playing in the ball pit solo as Hilton watched over him in his playroom. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Voters who said yes were asked a follow-up question about whether that age was such a problem that Mr. Biden or Mr. Trump was not capable of handling the job, a stronger measure that prompted voters to consider the candidate’s basic fitness for office. Ruth Igielnik, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The follow-up was originally slated to hit the big screen last fall, but it was delayed to spring because of the actors strike, which prevented stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and the rest of the sprawling, buzzy cast from being able to promote the movie. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024 The Times has defended its reporting of the December story in statements to other news organizations and in a Jan. 29 follow-up story. Laura Wagner The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 The kismet of the relationship led to the 2022 follow-up, Bloomin’ Too. Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2024 The follow-up to Dune: Part 1, released in 2021, Dune: Part 2 marks the second chapter of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel. Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 This follow-up led investigators to the woman’s potential family members. Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2024 The new record is the follow-up to 2022’s Crash, which topped the albums chart in the U.K. and reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 1 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The user can also tell Bing to alter the image with follow-up requests, as Microsoft’s demo shows. Michael Kan, PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2023 In a follow-up statement released around 2 p.m., the agency said the restrictions would remain in place until at least the end of service. John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2023 Over an average follow-up time of 28 years, 8.9% of elite soccer athletes and 6.2% of controls were diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease. Judy George | Medpage Today, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2023 People who send before and after images of their cleaning were promised (in a later follow-up Tweet) to have the chance to win $5,000. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2023 After the train derailment, WKBN-27 aired a follow-up broadcast addressing online conspiracy theories about the MyID. Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2023 Philips was a pioneer of the medium, so much so that Time magazine had splashed her on its cover in 1957, when some 10 million people were tuning in every weekday to watch her follow-up show, As the World Turns. Shinan Govani, Town & Country, 22 Feb. 2023
Verb
Bradley Cooper did not take home an Oscar on Sunday for Maestro, but the loss was followed up with a winning cameo in the opening scene of the new episode of Abbot Elementary. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024 Decatur said Stafford County detectives followed up on the family and narrowed their focus to Elroy Harrison. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Starfish followed up with their bubbly sense of humor. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 On March 17, Visit Cincy Board President Jeff Berding followed up with Reece. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 Montoya faulted managers for failing to follow up on complaints about two accidental discharges of blank rounds. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 But Eklund followed up his shot and tucked the loose puck into the net. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 With demurrage, would need to follow up with their carrier. Steve Banker, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The benzoyl peroxide helps blast away some of the harmful bacteria that can lead to a cycle of acne—just be sure to follow up with proper hydration to keep the skin barrier intact. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'follow-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1637, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of follow-up was in 1637

Dictionary Entries Near follow-up

Cite this Entry

“Follow-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/follow-up. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

follow-up

1 of 2 noun
fol·​low-up
ˈfäl-ə-ˌwəp
1
: the act or an instance of following up
therapy as a follow-up to surgery
2
: something that follows up
follow-up adjective

follow up

2 of 2 verb
ˌfäl-ə-ˈwəp
1
: to follow with something similar, related, or additional
follow up an idea with action
2
: to seek more details about
the police are following up leads

Medical Definition

follow-up

1 of 2 noun
: maintenance of contact with a patient at one or more designated intervals following diagnosis or treatment especially to examine again or monitor the progress of therapy
also : an instance of such contact
At three-month and six-month follow-ups, he had only mild, residual facial swelling on the lower left side. Meredith August et al., The New England Journal of Medicine
follow-up adjective
a follow-up visit
follow-up care
When ovarian cancer is found, better follow-up procedures and more aggressive chemotherapy are prolonging remissions, even in women with advanced disease. Mayo Clinic Health Letter

follow up

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to maintain contact with (a patient) at one or more designated intervals following diagnosis or treatment especially to examine again or monitor the progress of therapy
patients who are followed up after their discharge
She was discharged on postoperative day 4 and was followed up in the surgery clinic 19 days postoperatively.Steven L. Bloom et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

More from Merriam-Webster on follow-up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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