follow through

See also: followthrough and follow-through

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

follow through (third-person singular simple present follows through, present participle following through, simple past and past participle followed through)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To execute or complete a commitment.

   I don't appreciate salesmen who make promises and then fail to follow through.

   • 2023 October 19, Brendan I. Koerner, “Watch This Guy Work, and You’ll Finally Understand the TikTok Era”, in Wired‎^[1], →ISSN:

     They kicked around some ideas for doing their own thing, like moonlighting as music video producers, but they never followed through.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To continue moving the arms (and any held implements, such as a bat or club) or legs after striking e.g. a ball.

   Antonym: backswing

3. (intransitive, slang, euphemistic) To defecate unintentionally as a result of a cough or sneeze, etc.
   • 2013, Dave Cousins, Waiting for Gonzo:

     It looked like he'd just farted and followed through.

   • 2014, Toast of London (TV series), "Fool in Love" (episode)

     LORNA WYNDE: You cried so hard, you followed through in Oddbins.

Derived terms

• follow-through (noun)
• followthrough (noun)

 

Related terms

• follow on (verb)
• follow up (verb)

 

Translations

complete a commitment

• German: in die Tat umsetzen