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to follow; to come after; to come next (to); to rank next (to); to rank second (to)
売上では彼は社長に次ぐ地位にいます。
He holds the position next to the company president.
彼の成績は学年で首位に次いで二番目だった。
His grades ranked second, following the top in the class.
東京に次いで大阪が人口の多い都市となっている。
Osaka is the most populous city next to Tokyo.