follow-up

1 of 3

noun

fol·​low-up ˈfä-lō-ˌəp 

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

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adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being something that follows up

follow-up action by the police

Frank 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

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verb

followed up; following up; follows up

transitive verb

1

: to follow with something similar, related, or supplementary

following up his convictions with action

G. 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Those at the highest risk are eligible for a follow up dose two to three months later. Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022

This is still an active investigation and all updates will be sent out in a follow up media advisory once additional facts are known. Lillian Boyd, The Arizona Republic, 20 Aug. 2022

In many cases, the follow up samples verified acceptable limits. Kalyn Dunkins | [e-mail], al, 1 Aug. 2022

In a follow up video, Food Science Babe defended Chef Pii from the internet dogpile, explaining that the backlash was overshadowing the legitimate concerns over labeling issues. Lauren Wilson, NBC News, 21 July 2022

While all efforts will be made to help students resolve every item on this day, a follow up appointment may be necessary for the following week. Hartford Courant, 24 June 2022

In a follow up tweet, the singer expressed what many Americans were feeling in response to the 27th school shooting of 2022, which has also seen 212 mass shootings in 145 days so far. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 25 May 2022

The Escape Artist is back with a follow up book, The Lightning Rod. The Editors, Town & Country, 8 Mar. 2022

In a follow up letter posted just after his initial announcement, Young thanked Merck Mercuriadis and his company Hipgnosis Songs fund, which bought a stake in Young’s publishing rights last year. Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2022

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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

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

fol·​low-up ˈfäl-ə-ˌwəp, ˌfäl- 

: 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

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transitive verb

ˌfäl-ə-ˈwəp 

: 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