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

Verb you said you would put all of the files in order, but you didn't follow through with it
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The government promises protections, people get excited – and then there's no meaningful follow-through. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 17 May 2024 Despite the investment, employee engagement and leadership effectiveness remain poor due to companies having poor follow-through on leadership initiatives. Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024 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
Verb
But when the time came to follow through on her word, Laurel shocked everyone by passing on the chance to compete in the elimination, forcing Kam to go against Cara. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 29 May 2024 The joke follows through, literally, as Ki-baek farts his way to evacuation both from, and in, the sealed elevator. Geoffrey Bunting, TIME, 24 May 2024 Council decided at its May 14 meeting to continue to allow recreational access to the area, while still ensuring some preservation efforts be followed through on, following a month of discussion and input from community members. The Summit Daily, The Denver Post, 23 May 2024 But even though Israel followed through on some of the commitments on humanitarian aid, Mr. Netanyahu was not backing down on Rafah. Peter Baker, New York Times, 11 May 2024 And if Trump follows through with his promise to export 10 million immigrants, who is going to build the bridge? Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2024 According to the hackers, Ashley Madison charged users $19 for a full delete of their profile (reportedly earning the company $1.7 million in profit in 2014) — but didn’t actually follow through with the requests. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024 Childish Gambino is following through with his promise of a new album. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2024 There was no delay in removing the individual from duty, and AAPS and Durham teams dutifully followed through on this case up to and including a member of the Durham staff testifying at a hearing. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 11 May 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 6 Jun. 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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