following 1 of 4

as in next
being the one that comes immediately after another the following morning, I found the cat was gone

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

following

2 of 4

noun

1
as in entourage
a body of employees or servants who accompany and wait on a person a prince with a large following to do practically everything for him

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2
as in audience
a group of people showing intense devotion to a cause, person, or work (as a film) that rock star attracts quite a following

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3

following

3 of 4

preposition

as in after
subsequent to in time or order following the concert, there will be refreshments in the lobby

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

following

4 of 4

verb

present participle of follow
1
as in succeeding
to come after in time a wrap-up always follows the Super Bowl broadcast

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4
5
6

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of following
Adjective
Following his arrest on May 2, Hinton gained a following online and raised thousands in multiple fundraisers on an online crowdfunding platform, GiveSendGo. David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 14 July 2025 In a following move, Waller will be signing a one-year deal with Miami worth $5 million. Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
Noun
Hunt developed a following on TikTok and saw firsthand how quickly creators could grow when platforms supported them. Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025 Born in 1945 western Kenya, Odinga commanded a passionate and loyal following across the country - from his home region to Nairobi's Kibera, one of Africa's largest slums, where his support ran deep. NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
The film marks Fakher Eldin’s second feature following The Stranger. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025 Swim in a direction following the shoreline. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for following
Recent Examples of Synonyms for following
Adjective
  • However, the White House later released a fact sheet stating the countries will invest more than $3 billion in critical mineral projects over the next six months.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2025
  • However, the controversy took a toll on his campaign, as Republicans jumped on the scandal to argue Jones is an inappropriate candidate to be Virginia’s next attorney general.
    Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The erstwhile president and his entourage got on a jet that flew them to Hmeimim, a coastal air base controlled by Russia, which had been his most critical backer in the war.
    Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Loro Piana created the attire that Team Europe athletes and their entourages wore during all official events, both on and off the course.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Leavitt and Ballas lit up the stage with a quick, nimble, explosively energetic dance that got the audience on their feet.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
  • There’s an intriguing backstory, too, which GableStage’s audiences unknowingly part of something bigger.
    Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This is the uniform in which DesRochers greets me at the nucleus of her sprawling entrepreneurial pursuits that are dubbed The Gratitude Collective, her brick home sitting high atop a hill in Avondale.
    Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Despite the setback, Franklin remains undeterred and is determined to land another coaching job while continuing his pursuit of a national championship.
    Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Preposition
  • Weigert, 56, left Tracker after season 1, and like Sunday’s episode, her absence was also explained within the show during a brief conversation in season 2.
    Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
  • So to be there, back in my home state, to cover something that was just so unthinkable, reprehensible, that's always stayed with me, just talking to people in the days and hours after that tragedy.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Most requests should now be succeeding.
    Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025
  • As for the governance of the foundation, Armani’s nephew Andrea Camerana has a seat on the board succeeding the designer, with Dell’Orco and Irving Bellotti, partner of Rothschild & Co.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Hundreds of science teams from all over the world compete for observing time on the veteran space telescope, pursuing a multitude of challenging astronomical research projects that can't be accomplished by any other star-watching machine.
    Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Two more shots came as the SUV drove through the 7100 block of West National Avenue, prompting officers to return fire while pursuing westbound.
    Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • While current power brokers haven’t scrapped movies over their content, yet, Hollywood has a recent history of companies obeying in advance by shelving projects until the tensions cool.
    Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
  • It was intended simply to verify that a nonviolent offender was obeying curfew hours.
    Robert S. Gable, IEEE Spectrum, 20 July 2017

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Cite this Entry

“Following.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/following. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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