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 followed

It was followed by several told-you-so articles with titles like “Have No Illusion: Islam Is the Enemy.”

Europe’s Islam Haters Say We Told You So |Barbie Latza Nadeau |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The Daily Beast has followed some of the refugees who landed in Sicily a month ago.

Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean |Barbie Latza Nadeau |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
San Francisco was the first city to pass one in 2006; since then, 14 other cities and three states have followed suit.

Christie Blames Parents for Bad Economy |Monica Potts |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Some in the intelligence community seem to have followed through on that plan.

The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan |Umar Farooq |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Vice President Joe Biden spoke, followed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, then Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton.

Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos |Michael Daly |December 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He closed her eyes himself, and followed her coffin to the churchyard.

Complete Short Works |Georg Ebers
He drifted to Belleville, Illinois, about 1826, and was followed a year later by his parents.

McClure's Magazine, Vol. VI., No. 6, May, 1896 |Various
The summer that followed was cold and ungenial, with easterly winds, though fortunately it brightened up somewhat for the harvest.

Nature Near London |Richard Jefferies
Later this is followed by erosion of the cartilages at such points as they happen to be in greatest contact.

Diseases of the Horse's Foot |Harry Caulton Reeks
They followed her into a library, in which a wood fire was crackling merrily in the chimney-place.

On Your Mark! |Ralph Henry Barbour

British Dictionary definitions for followed

/ (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 followed

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 followed

British Dictionary definitions for followed

verb

noun

Derived forms of follow

Word Origin for follow

Idioms and Phrases with followed

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 followed

Example sentences from the Web for followed

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for followed

verb

noun

Derived forms of follow

Word Origin for follow

Idioms and Phrases with followed

British Dictionary definitions for followed