follow-through

1 of 2

noun

fol·​low-through ˈfä-lō-ˌthrü How to pronounce follow-through (audio)
ˌfä-lō-ˈthrü,
-lə-
1
: the part of the stroke following the striking of a ball
2
: the act or an instance of following through

follow through

2 of 2

verb

followed through; following through; follows through

intransitive verb

1
: to continue a stroke or motion to the end of its arc
2
: to press on in an activity or process especially to a conclusion

Examples of follow-through in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Musk says his companies are philanthropic in spirit Musk has a habit of making generous promises that earn positive publicity, then being shaky on the follow-through. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 Mike Hoffman had to leave in the first period for repairs after he was caught in the face by Ryan Suter’s stick on a follow-through on a shot. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Mercury’s entrance to Capricorn emphasizes planning and follow-through. USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024 Timing is everything, but so are diplomacy, creativity, engaged networking strategies and follow-through. Kyle Roderick, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Emphasizing the effects of the imminent budget deficit and spikes in certain crimes among Maryland’s youth, Republicans called Wednesday for immediate follow-through in response to Gov. Wes Moore’s second State of the State address. Hannah Gaskill, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024 He’s joined after about 10 minutes by Struthers, who, as Eve, has been secondarily created due to Adam’s piss-poor follow-through on exercising naming rights. Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Jan. 2024 Without a reversal in OpenAI’s policy and a follow-through on its promises, so much about an increasingly influential organization may never become publicly known, like whether the new board amends the conflict-of-interest policy to better wrangle Altman and other executives. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2024 That includes not taking it personally, staying away from any kind of reactionary messaging, and ditching any kind of token gestures intended to placate workers without a thorough follow-through. Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2024
Verb
OpenAI in a blog post Tuesday night said Musk never followed through on his promise, committing $45 million in funding for OpenAI, while other donors raised $90 million. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 If the two states don’t follow through by 2034, the Oregon bill will be repealed. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 But the new report shows that most employers have not followed through on that promise. Preston Cooper, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Go out to as many events as possible, put yourself out there, make connections and follow through. Kice Akkawi, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024 In 2021, her first full year in office, Levine Cava announced plans to build shore power at PortMiami after a Miami Herald report detailed how Miami-Dade County had pledged to install the technology for a decade but hadn’t followed through. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee Chairwoman L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) followed through on threats to cut enabling language for the Potomac Yard project out of the budget, while the House included language that differs from Youngkin’s original proposal. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024 Since that time the agency has followed through on its promise by creating new grant funding programs for 2-year colleges active in regional innovation ecosystems and emerging technology job training. Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Everyone has until March 5 to register their interest in buying shares, but nobody is obligated to follow through with a purchase. Robert Peck, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'follow-through.' 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

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of follow-through was in 1891

Dictionary Entries Near follow-through

follow the pack

follow-through

follow through

Cite this Entry

“Follow-through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/follow-through. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

follow through

verb
1
: to complete a stroke or swing
2
: to continue in an activity or process especially to a conclusion
follow through with a study
follow-through
ˈfäl-ō-ˌthrü
ˌfäl-ō-ˈthrü
-ə-
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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