follow up — pursue leads persistently
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
to investigate or pursue information, leads, or suspicions in a determined and sustained way, especially in professional, journalistic, or investigative contexts.
Say it like a native
Textbook Investigators pursued the lead with sustained determination.
Native Reporters followed up every lead.
'Pursued with sustained determination' is heavy; in investigative work you 'follow up' leads.
Pattern: follow up (on) something
In use
- The journalist decided to follow up on the anonymous tip, spending weeks tracking down sources and documents.journalism
- In investigative journalism, it is crucial to follow up on every potential lead, no matter how minor it may initially appear.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The journalist followed up to the tip.
✓ The journalist followed up the tip.
'Follow up a lead/tip' (transitive) — or 'follow up on'.
Common collocations
follow up + lead— a lead, every tip, leads, a story
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense, which is about checking or taking further action to complete something, this sense emphasizes persistent and determined pursuit of information, often in the context of investigations or journalism.
Related
- follow up (to find out more about something or take further action) — 'follow up' also has the more basic meaning 'to find out more about something or take further action'; this is the advanced sense.