as in next
being the one that comes immediately after another
the following morning, I found the cat was gone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
as in pursuing
to go after or on the track of
let's follow the boys to their hiding place
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obeying
to act according to the commands of
follow me, and you'll do OK
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in traversing
to make one's way through, across, or over
followed the path into the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in noting
to take notice of and be guided by
don't follow his advice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in watching
to keep one's eyes on
stood on the platform and followed the departing train until it disappeared from sight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of following
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
Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Sacramento has a huge, huge soccer following.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 Sep. 2025
It was assumed Woods would take his turn following the Americans’ no-show performance at Marco Simone in 2023.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
During the pandemic, the brothers passed by time by sharing their song-making process on TikTok, which got them a sizable following.
—Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Sacramento has a huge, huge soccer following.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
Comedian Michael Che opened up about his viral run-in with Kanye West following the rapper’s controversial 2018 Saturday Night Live tirade.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 Sep. 2025
It was assumed Woods would take his turn following the Americans’ no-show performance at Marco Simone in 2023.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for following
Recent Examples of Synonyms for following
Adjective
-
The city will start delivering new trash bins — gray instead of the old black — next week.—
Sam Schulz,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The security forces arrested 70,000 people over the next several years, locking up many of them in CECOT, the maximum-security prison.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At the Barclays, Ellie struts the halls—all eyes are on her and her entourage.—
Marc Williams,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Before Kikuchi could even face a batter, Angels athletic trainer Eric Munson came to the mound, along with an entourage that included his interpreter, the manager and the pitching coach.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Because such materials can be difficult to detect once products are frozen, widespread recalls help prevent potentially serious harm to consumers, especially children, who are a common audience for corn dog and pancake stick products.—
Daniel Orton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Or the moralizing at the end of the show, when the audience, in sympathy with the Phantom, is asked to unmask.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Though there is some variety to what makes a DA story, they're typically set in schools, feature a moody atmosphere and center a mystery or the protagonist’s pursuit of knowledge (think movies like Dead Poet’s Society or TV shows like Wednesday).—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The charges against Comey came even as prosecutors in the office had written a memo detailing concerns about the pursuit of an indictment and their likelihood of success at trial.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
27 Sep. 2025
Preposition
-
Two mountain lion cubs found orphaned and malnourished in March have been released back into the wild after undergoing rehabilitation at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
That was their second attempt of the night, after voting on a bill supported by Democrats.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Brewers are succeeding by developing good young players, such as center fielder Jackson Chourio, Attanasio said, using the Tampa Bay Rays model.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Lear deBessonet was named the artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater, succeeding André Bishop after his 33-year tenure.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Police will still be limited to only pursuing individuals suspected of committing a forcible violent crime — robberies, for instance, but not burglaries — or if there’s probable cause to believe a suspect is carrying a firearm.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Since then, even the pretense of pursuing limited government has become all but impossible to sustain.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
It was intended simply to verify that a nonviolent offender was obeying curfew hours.—
Robert S. Gable,
IEEE Spectrum,
20 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Following.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/following. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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