follow

1 of 2

verb

fol·​low ˈfä-(ˌ)lō 

followed; following; follows

transitive verb

1

: to go, proceed, or come after

followed the guide

2

a

: to engage in as a calling or way of life : pursue

wheat-growing is generally followed here

b

: to walk or proceed along

follow a path

3

a

: to be or act in accordance with

follow directions

b

: to accept as authority : obey

followed his conscience

4

a

: to pursue in an effort to overtake

Police followed the robbers attempting to escape.

b

: to seek to attain

follow knowledge

5

: to come into existence or take place as a result or consequence of

disaster followed the blunder

6

a

: to come or take place after in time, sequence, or order

A juggling act followed the singer.

b

: to cause to be followed

followed dinner with a liqueur

7

: to copy after : imitate

the new building follows the facades and roof lines of the original buildings

—Maxwell Mays

8

a

: to watch steadily

followed the flight of the ball

b

: to keep the mind on

follow a speech

c

: to attend closely to : keep abreast of

followed his career with interest

d

: to understand the sense or logic of (something, such as a line of thought)

I don't quite follow your thinking.

e

: to subscribe to the feed of (someone or something) especially on social media

Follow us on Facebook/Twitter.

intransitive verb

1

: to go or come after a person or thing in place, time, or sequence

If one sheep goes through the gate, the rest will follow.

2

: to result or occur as a consequence, effect, or inference

Just because he's done some bad things, does it follow that he is a bad person?

follow

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act or process of following

2

: forward spin given to a ball by striking it above center compare draw, english

Phrases

as follows

: as comes next

—used impersonally

The names of the winners are as follows: Mary, James, and Sylvia.

follow one's nose

1

: to go in a straight or obvious course

Just follow your nose until you get there; you can't miss it.

2

: to proceed without plan or reflection : obey one's instincts

You don't need my advice—just follow your nose.

follow suit

1

: to play a card of the same suit as the card led

2

: to follow an example set

When one airline lowers its fares, the others usually follow suit.

Synonyms

Verb

• postdate
• succeed
• supervene

Choose the Right Synonym for follow

follow, succeed, ensue, supervene mean to come after something or someone.

follow may apply to a coming after in time, position, or logical sequence.

speeches followed the dinner

succeed implies a coming after immediately in a sequence determined by natural order, inheritance, election, or laws of rank.

she succeeded her father as head of the business

ensue commonly suggests a logical consequence or naturally expected development.

after the talk a general discussion ensued

supervene suggests the following or beginning of something unforeseen or unpredictable.

unable to continue because of supervening circumstances

synonyms see in addition chase

Examples of follow in a Sentence

Verb

She followed us into the kitchen.

The dog followed the children home.

The exit is right this way. Just follow me.

The children went home and the dog followed behind.

If one sheep goes through the gate, the rest will follow.

The number 15 follows 14.

Her accident was followed by a long period of recovery.

First came the student speeches, and the presentation of awards followed.

Rioting followed the unjust verdict.

If you work hard, success will surely follow.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

During the rapprochement between China and the United States in the 1970s (which followed the split between China and the Soviet Union), North Korea hosted Soviet naval ships in its ports and allowed Soviet fighter jets to enter North Korean airspace. —Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024

Bucky Irving opened the fourth quarter with a 14-yard run on third-and-2, then followed that with a 12-yard touchdown dash past six defenders for the Bucs’ first lead of the game, 17-13. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024

Two waves of bombing followed, one late Wednesday and another early Thursday. —Reuters, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024

Veteran New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who started at the tabloid in 1989, is once again going after lifestyle guru Martha Stewart following the release of the new Netflix documentary Martha. —David MacK, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English folwen, from Old English folgian; akin to Old High German folgēn to follow

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing follow

• a hard/tough act to follow
• come/follow close/hard/hot on something's heels
• come/follow close/hard/hot on the heels of (something)
• follow about
• follow around
• follow in someone's footsteps
• follow-on
• follow one's heart
• follow out
• follow shot
• follow someone's example
• follow someone's lead
• follow the crowd
• follow the herd
• follow-the-leader
• follow the pack
• follow through
• follow through on/with
• follow up
• follow up on (something)
• take/follow the path/line of least resistance

Kids Definition

follow

1 of 2 verb

ˈfäl-ō

1

: to go or come after or behind

2

: to be guided by : obey

follow your conscience

follow instructions

3

: to go after or on the track of

follow that car

4

: to go along

follow a path

5

: to work in or at something as a business or way of life

follow the sea

6

: to come after in order of rank or natural sequence

two follows one

7

: to keep one's attention fixed on

follow a speech

8

: to result from something

fame followed the captain's success

9

: to understand the sense or logic of

10

: to subscribe to the feed of (someone or something) especially on social media

follow

2 of 2 noun

: the act or process of following

Legal Definition

follow

transitive verb

fol·​low

: to be in accordance with (a prior decision) : accept as authoritative see also precedent compare overrule