Follow Definition and Meaning
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 5, 2024
Follow means to go or come after someone or something, or to understand and act according to instructions. e.g., The ducklings follow their mother everywhere.
Table of Contents
Follow Definitions
To physically go behind or after someone.
She decided to follow the tour guide closely.
To understand and act according to guidance.
He could not follow the complex instructions.
To track or monitor the progress of something.
Scientists follow the migration of birds.
To emulate or imitate someone.
The younger siblings often follow their older brother's example.
To occur as a result or consequence.
Success often follows hard work and dedication.
To keep up with an ongoing process or story.
It's hard to follow the plot of a complex movie.
To understand the logic or reasoning of something.
Can you follow the reasoning behind his decision?
To come or go after; proceed behind
Follow the usher to your seat.
To go after in pursuit
Would follow his enemy to the ends of the earth.
To keep under surveillance
The agent followed the suspect around town.
To move along the course of; take
We followed the path.
To move in the direction of; be guided by
Followed the sun westward.
Followed the signs to the zoo.
To lie in the same path as
The road follows the old trading route.
To be parallel to
The road follows the river.
To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of
Follow a spiritual master.
Rebels who refused to follow their leader.
To adhere to; practice
Followed family traditions.
To take as a model or precedent; imitate
Followed my example and resigned.
To act in agreement or compliance with; obey
Follow the rules.
Follow one's instincts.
To keep to or stick to
Followed the recipe.
Follow a diet.
To engage in (a trade or occupation); work at.
To come after in order, time, or position
Night follows day.
To bring something about at a later time than or as a consequence of
She followed her lecture with a question-and-answer period. The band followed its hit album with a tour.
To occur or be evident as a consequence of
Your conclusion does not follow your premise.
To watch or observe closely
Followed the bird through binoculars.
To be attentive to; pay close heed to
Too sleepy to follow the sermon.
To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of
Follow the stock market.
Followed the local teams.
To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand
Do you follow my argument?.
To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time.
To occur or be evident as a consequence; result
If you ignore your diet, trouble will follow.
To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand.
(Games) A billiards shot in which the cue ball is struck above center so that it follows the path of the object ball after impact.
(ambitransitive) To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching.
Follow that car!
She left the room and I followed.
(ambitransitive) To go or come after in a sequence.
B follows A in the alphabet.
We both ordered the soup, with roast beef to follow.
(transitive) To carry out (orders, instructions, etc.).
Follow these instructions to the letter.
(transitive) To live one's life according to (religion, teachings, etc).
(transitive) To understand, to pay attention to.
Do you follow me?
(transitive) To watch, to keep track of (reports of) some event or person.
I followed the incumbent throughout the election.
My friends don't regularly follow the news.
To subscribe to see content from an account on a social media platform.
If you want to see more of our articles, follow us on Twitter.
(ambitransitive) To be a logical consequence of something.
It follows that if two numbers are not equal then one is larger than the other.
If you don't practise proper hygiene, illness is sure to follow.
(transitive) To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.
In billiards and similar games, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it.
A follow shot
(social media) The act of following another user's online activity.
To go or come after; to move behind in the same path or direction; hence, to go with (a leader, guide, etc.); to accompany; to attend.
It waves me forth again; I'll follow it.
To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute.
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them.
To accept as authority; to adopt the opinions of; to obey; to yield to; to take as a rule of action; as, to follow good advice.
Approve the best, and follow what I approve
Follow peace with all men.
It is most agreeable to some men to follow their reason; and to others to follow their appetites.
To copy after; to take as an example.
We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we love.
To succeed in order of time, rank, or office.
To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise.
To watch, as a receding object; to keep the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a course of thought or argument.
He followed with his eyes the flitting shade.
To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.
O, had I but followed the arts!
O Antony! I have followed thee to this.
To go or come after; - used in the various senses of the transitive verb: To pursue; to attend; to accompany; to be a result; to imitate.
The art or process of following; specif., in some games, as billiards, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it. Also used adjectively; as, follow shot.
To travel behind, go after, come after;
The ducklings followed their mother around the pond
Please follow the guide through the museum
Be later in time;
Tuesday always follows Monday
Come as a logical consequence; follow logically;
It follows that your assertion is false
The theorem falls out nicely
Travel along a certain course;
Follow the road
Follow the trail
Act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes;
He complied with my instructions
You must comply or else!
Follow these simple rules
Abide by the rules
Come after in time, as a result;
A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake
Behave in accordance or in agreement with;
Follow a pattern
Follow my example
Be next;
Mary plays best, with John and Sue following
Choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans;
She followed the feminist movement
The candidate espouses Republican ideals
To bring something about at a later time than;
She followed dinner with a brandy
He followed his lecture with a question and answer period
Imitate in behavior; take as a model;
Teenagers follow their friends in everything
Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something;
We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba
Trace the student's progress
Follow with the eyes or the mind;
Keep an eye on the baby, please!
The world is watching Sarajevo
She followed the men with the binoculars
Be the successor (of);
Carter followed Ford
Will Charles succeed to the throne?
Perform an accompaniment to;
The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano
Keep informed;
He kept up on his country's foreign policies
To be the product or result;
Melons come from a vine
Understanding comes from experience
Accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of;
Let's follow our great helmsman!
She followed a guru for years
Adhere to or practice;
These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion
Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function;
He is a herpetologist
She is our resident philosopher
Keep under surveillance;
The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing
Follow in or as if in pursuit;
The police car pursued the suspected attacker
Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life
Grasp the meaning;
Can you follow her argument?
When he lectures, I cannot follow
Keep to;
Stick to your principles
Stick to the diet
To continue in sequence or succession.
Night follows day in a regular pattern.
To adhere to a set of rules or principles.
You must follow the school's code of conduct.
To engage with someone on social media.
Many fans follow their favorite celebrities online.
Follow Snonyms
Chase
To follow rapidly to catch or overtake.
The dog chased the ball across the yard.
Track
To follow by marking or noting evidence.
Hunters track their prey through the woods.
Emulate
To strive to equal or surpass, especially through imitation.
Young athletes emulate their sports heroes.
Heed
To pay attention to or follow advice.
He failed to heed the warnings about the storm.
Pursue
To follow or chase with determination.
The detective pursued the suspect through the streets.
Trail
To follow behind someone or something.
The ducklings trail behind their mother in a line.
Accompany
To go along with someone as a companion.
She agreed to accompany him to the event.
Succeed
To come after and take the place or position of.
She will succeed him as the new CEO.
Shadow
To secretly or closely follow and observe someone.
The agent was tasked to shadow the suspect without being noticed.
Tag along
To follow someone around; to go along with someone.
His little brother always wants to tag along with us.
Follow Idioms & Phrases
Follow suit
To do the same thing as someone else.
When he saw his colleague donate to the charity, he decided to follow suit.
Follow in someone's footsteps
To pursue the same path or career as someone, typically a family member.
She followed in her father's footsteps and became a doctor.
Follow the crowd
To conform to what others are doing.
He never had his own opinion, preferring to follow the crowd.
Follow one's nose
To go straight forward or trust one's instincts.
Lost in the city, she decided to follow her nose to find her way back.
Follow through
To complete something that you have started.
It's important to follow through on your promises.
Follow blindly
To follow someone or something without questioning or understanding.
They followed the charismatic leader blindly, without considering the consequences.
Follow the rules
To obey or adhere to the established guidelines or regulations.
To maintain order, it's necessary for everyone to follow the rules.
Follow the trail
To track or pursue by following evidence or signs.
The detectives followed the trail left by the suspects.
Follow the leader
To imitate or do as the leader or an authority does.
In the game, the children happily played follow the leader.
Follow one's heart
To act according to one's feelings or instincts.
When choosing a career, it's often best to follow your heart.
Follow the pack
To do the same thing as the majority of people.
He's not one to follow the pack; he prefers to forge his own path.
Follow your gut
To trust or follow one's intuition.
Even though the evidence was scarce, he decided to follow his gut.
Follow one's lead
To imitate or do as someone else does, especially a leader or someone respected.
The younger students often follow the lead of the seniors in school activities.
Follow up
To take additional steps or action; to continue or pursue something further.
After the meeting, she made sure to follow up with an email summary.
Follow to the letter
To carry out instructions or guidelines very precisely and exactly.
The technician followed the manual to the letter to fix the machine.
Follow the book
To do things strictly according to the rules or procedures.
As a judge, she always follows the book when making decisions.
Follow on
To continue or proceed after something else.
The sequel follows on from the cliffhanger ending of the first book.
Follow the trend
To conform to current styles or developments.
The company is trying to follow the trend to stay relevant in the market.
Follow a pattern
To act in a way that conforms to a known or established pattern or model.
His behavior follows a pattern that's typical in such cases.
Follow Example Sentences
They follow the same routine every morning.
It's important to follow the teacher's instructions.
The cat loves to follow me around the house.
After the leader, the members will follow.
The movie was difficult to follow at times.
The sequel will follow the events of the first book.
Many people follow a daily exercise routine.
Can you follow the recipe to bake the cake?
Birds follow the sun when they migrate.
She decided to follow her dreams of becoming a singer.
To play the game, you must follow the rules.
She uses social media to follow the latest trends.
The little boat will follow the current of the river.
He was eager to follow in his father's footsteps.
The story was easy to follow and interesting.
Common Curiosities
What is a stressed syllable in follow?
The stressed syllable in "follow" is the first one: "fol-."
How is follow used in a sentence?
Example: "Please follow the instructions carefully."
What is the first form of follow?
The first form (present form) of "follow" is "follow."
How many syllables are in follow?
There are two syllables in "follow."
How do we divide follow into syllables?
"Follow" is divided into syllables as "fol-low."
What is the singular form of follow?
"Follow" does not have a singular form as it is a verb.
What is the pronunciation of follow?
Follow is pronounced as /ˈfɒl.oʊ/.
What part of speech is follow?
"Follow" is a verb.
Why is it called follow?
"Follow" is called so because it comes from the Old English "fylgian," which means to accompany or go after someone, derived from Proto-Germanic roots.
What is the verb form of follow?
"Follow" itself is the verb form.
What is the second form of follow?
The second form (past simple form) of "follow" is "followed."
What is the third form of follow?
The third form (past participle form) of "follow" is "followed."
What is another term for follow?
Another term for "follow" is "pursue" or "track."
What is the plural form of follow?
"Follow" does not have a plural form as it is a verb.
Is follow a negative or positive word?
"Follow" is neutral; it is neither inherently negative nor positive.
What is the root word of follow?
The root word of "follow" is the Old English "fylgian."
Is follow an abstract noun?
"Follow" is a verb, so it cannot be an abstract noun.
Is follow a countable noun?
"Follow" is not a noun; it's a verb.
Is follow a collective noun?
"Follow" is not a noun, so it cannot be a collective noun.
Is the follow term a metaphor?
"Follow" can be used metaphorically in various contexts.
Is the word follow Gerund?
The gerund form of "follow" is "following."
Which determiner is used with follow?
Determiners are not typically used directly with the verb "follow."
What is the opposite of follow?
The opposite of "follow" is "lead" or "precede."
Is follow an adverb?
No, "follow" is not an adverb.
Is the word “follow” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Follow" is a verb and therefore cannot be a direct or indirect object.
Which conjunction is used with follow?
Conjunctions like "and," "but," or "or" can be used with "follow," depending on the sentence structure.
Is follow a vowel or consonant?
The word "follow" starts with a consonant.
Is the word follow imperative?
"Follow" can be used in the imperative form, as in "Follow me."
Which preposition is used with follow?
Common prepositions used with "follow" include "by," "with," and "after."
Is follow a noun or adjective?
"Follow" is a verb, not a noun or adjective.
Which vowel is used before follow?
The use of a vowel before "follow" depends on the context of the sentence.
Which article is used with follow?
Articles are not used directly with the verb "follow." The use of an article would depend on the noun it accompanies.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
