follow

[ fol-oh ]

/ ˈfɒl oʊ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR follow ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to come after in sequence, order of time, etc.: The speech follows the dinner.

to go or come after; move behind in the same direction: Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.

to accept as a guide or leader; accept the authority of or give allegiance to: Many Germans followed Hitler.

to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with; obey: to follow orders; to follow advice.

to imitate or copy; use as an exemplar: They follow the latest fads.

to move forward along (a road, path, etc.): Follow this road for a mile.

to come after as a result or consequence; result from: Reprisals often follow victory.

to go after or along with (a person) as companion.

to go in pursuit of: to follow an enemy.

to try for or attain to: to follow an ideal.

to engage in or be concerned with as a pursuit: He followed the sea as his true calling.

to watch the movements, progress, or course of: to follow a bird in flight.

to watch the development of or keep up with: to follow the news.

to keep up with and understand (an argument, story, etc.): Do you follow me?

verb (used without object)

to come next after something else in sequence, order of time, etc.

to happen or occur after something else; come next as an event: After the defeat great disorder followed.

to attend or serve.

to go or come after a person or thing in motion.

to result as an effect; occur as a consequence: It follows then that he must be innocent.

noun

the act of following.

Billiards, Pool. follow shot(def 2).

follow-up(def 3).

Verb Phrases

follow out, to carry to a conclusion; execute: They followed out their orders to the letter.

follow through,

to carry out fully, as a stroke of a club in golf, a racket in tennis, etc.
to continue an effort, plan, proposal, policy, etc., to its completion.

follow up,

to pursue closely and tenaciously.
to increase the effectiveness of by further action or repetition.
to pursue to a solution or conclusion.

Idioms for follow

follow suit. suit(def 21).

Origin of follow

before 900; Middle English folwen, Old English folgian; cognate with Old Saxon folgon, Old High German folgēn, folgōn (German folgen)

SYNONYMS FOR follow

3 obey.

4 heed, observe.

8 accompany, attend.

9 pursue, chase; trail, track, trace.

19 arise, proceed. Follow, ensue, result, succeed imply coming after something else, in a natural sequence. Follow is the general word: We must wait to see what follows. A detailed account follows. Ensue implies a logical sequence, what might be expected normally to come after a given act, cause, etc.: When the power lines were cut, a paralysis of transportation ensued. Result emphasizes the connection between a cause or event and its effect, consequence, or outcome: The accident resulted in injuries to those involved. Succeed implies coming after in time, particularly coming into a title, office, etc.: Formerly the oldest son succeeded to his father's title.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR follow ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR follow

1 precede.

2, 3 lead.

4 disregard.

9 flee.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR follow ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM follow

fol·low·a·ble, adjective un·fol·low·a·ble, adjective un·fol·lowed, adjective well-fol·lowed, adjective

Words nearby follow

folliculoma, folliculosis, folliculus, follis, follitropin, follow, follow along, follow in someone's footsteps, follow one's nose, follow out, follow shot

Example sentences from the Web for follow

Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.

How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech |Nick Gillespie |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
JetBlue has been flying charter jets to Cuba for three years, and others are sure to follow.

Up To Speed: The Cuba Embargo |Nina Strochlic |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
An attorney was asked to follow up, but no records indicate what happened next.

Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon |Tim Mak |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
As southern California turns to desert western Canada could follow Oregon and Washington states as a contender in top class wines.

Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries |Clive Irving |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

His family members and neighbors also questioned police claims that Gonzalez did not follow officer orders.

Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls |Emily Shire |December 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And he asked who would volunteer to follow two leaders in separate lines.

The Later Cave-Men |Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
But hindered by the bonds that bound her, she was unable to follow with suppleness the motion of her mount.

The Branding Needle, or The Monastery of Charolles |Eugne Sue
"I mean to make it my business to follow the matter up," he said.

Colonel Thorndyke's Secret |G. A. Henty
They told him that he had commanded long enough, and now he must follow.

Lectures on the French Revolution |John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
If any assailant strive to follow, strike him down without mercy.

The Lost Treasure of Trevlyn |Evelyn Everett-Green

British Dictionary definitions for follow

/ (ˈfɒləʊ) /

verb

to go or come after in the same direction he followed his friend home

(tr) to accompany; attend she followed her sister everywhere

to come after as a logical or natural consequence

(tr) to keep to the course or track of she followed the towpath

(tr) to act in accordance with; obey to follow instructions

(tr) to accept the ideas or beliefs of (a previous authority, etc) he followed Donne in most of his teachings

to understand (an explanation, argument, etc) the lesson was difficult to follow

to watch closely or continuously she followed his progress carefully

(tr) to have a keen interest in to follow athletics

(tr) to help in the cause of or accept the leadership of the men who followed Napoleon

(tr) to choose to receive messages posted by (a blogger or microblogger) I've been following her online

(tr) rare to earn a living at or in to follow the Navy

follow suit cards

to play a card of the same suit as the card played immediately before it
to do the same as someone else

noun

billiards snooker

a forward spin imparted to a cue ball causing it to roll after the object ball
a shot made in this way

See also follow-on, follow out, follow through, follow up

Derived forms of follow

followable, adjective

Word Origin for follow

Old English folgian; related to Old Frisian folgia, Old Saxon folgōn, Old High German folgēn

Idioms and Phrases with follow

In addition to the idioms beginning with follow

follow along
follow in someone's footsteps
follow one's nose
follow out
follow suit
follow the crowd
follow through
follow up

also see:

as follows
camp follower
hard act to follow

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

follow

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Idioms for follow

Origin of follow

SYNONYMS FOR follow

ANTONYMS FOR follow

OTHER WORDS FROM follow

Words nearby follow

Example sentences from the Web for follow

British Dictionary definitions for follow

verb

noun

Derived forms of follow

Word Origin for follow

Idioms and Phrases with follow

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

follow

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Idioms for follow

Origin of follow

SYNONYMS FOR follow

ANTONYMS FOR follow

OTHER WORDS FROM follow

Words nearby follow

Words related to follow

Example sentences from the Web for follow

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verb

noun

Derived forms of follow

Word Origin for follow

Idioms and Phrases with follow

British Dictionary definitions for follow