the following

noun

: the following one or ones
used to introduce a list, a quotation, etc.
The finalists are the following: Mary, James, and George.
The following are the times of departing trains: 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.

Examples of the following in a Sentence

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While most of the openings will happen in September, some may come the following month in October, according to a list the company sent to USA TODAY. Saleen Martin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Marks wrote her phone number on a piece of napkin, and a fast friendship formed over the following months. Allie Merriam, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 2026 Hundreds of residents returned to the streets the following day, marching toward the Trampolín and Benítez beach areas where migrants were camped and repeating the same chant, according to EFE. Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Emily Blunt and John Krasinski swapped their Park Slope home the following year for two units below him. Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the following

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“The following.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20following. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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