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.
Digital Technology. to indicate interest in and establish a connection with (a social media account) so as to keep up with the online content it publishes, as posts, images, or videos: I follow my friends and some celebrities on Twitter, but nobody who tweets political stuff.
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.
Digital Technology. an instance of following or subscribing to online content published by a social media account: Using hashtags is one way to get more follows on Instagram.
Billiards, Pool. follow shot (def. 2).
follow-up (def. 3).
adjective
Digital Technology. noting or relating to a feature used to follow or subscribe to specific website content: a follow link;follow numbers and other digital marketing statistics.
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
First recorded before 900; Middle English fol(o)wen, Old English folgian; cognate with Old Saxon folgōn, Old High German folgēn, folgōn (German folgen )
SYNONYMS FOR follow
3 obey.
4 heed, observe.
8 accompany, attend.
9 pursue, chase; trail, track, trace.
20 arise, proceed.
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
synonym study for follow
20. 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.