follow
Americanverb (used with object)
-
follows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
followed,
past participle, past
-
following
present participle
-
to come after in sequence, order of time, etc..
The speech follows the dinner.
- Antonyms:
- precede
-
to go or come after; move behind in the same direction.
Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.
- Antonyms:
- lead
-
to accept as a guide or leader; accept the authority of or give allegiance to.
Many Germans followed Hitler.
- Synonyms:
- obey
- Antonyms:
- lead
-
to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with; obey.
to follow orders; to follow advice.
- Antonyms:
- disregard
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- flee
-
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)
-
follows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
followed,
past participle, past
-
following
present participle
-
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.
adjective
verb phrase
-
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.
-
-
follow out to carry to a conclusion; execute.
They followed out their orders to the letter.
idioms
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
-
rare (tr) to earn a living at or in
to follow the Navy
-
cards
-
to play a card of the same suit as the card played immediately before it
-
to do the same as someone else
-
noun
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
followsimple
-
followssimple
-
have followedperfect
-
has followedperfect
-
am followingprogressive
-
are followingprogressive
-
is followingprogressive
-
have been followingperfect progressive
-
has been followingperfect progressive
Past
-
followedsimple
-
had followedperfect
-
was followingprogressive
-
were followingprogressive
-
had been followingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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 )
Explanation
Do you know when orange is the new black? When pleats are in style? Then you must follow fashion — you observe it closely. Follow can also mean you trail along behind someone. You might follow your brother to school. If you follow something, such as line of argument, that means you understand it. If you follow through on something, such as a diet, that means you stick to it. Follow can also describe a sequence of events. Your election as class president might follow a scandal involving your opponent. Follow can also mean something is a logical consequence of something else. It follows that having read these examples you now understand the various meanings of follow. You follow me?
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The investigation was still in its early stages, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said, and the public was asked "to follow official channels for updates" and not to speculate.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
But they also show how periods of high inflation or a lost decade in markets, among other factors, can lead many more retirees who follow the rule to burn through their savings before age 95.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Spending in the spring grew at a surprisingly strong pace and it looks like the third quarter will follow suit.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The researchers are continuing to follow the children as they enter adolescence, a period when the risk of developing depression increases for many young people.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Did you follow the light in the exact direction I told you?”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
A new documentary, ‘Going for Home,’ follows Altadena’s Little League in its historic season following the Eaton fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As for portfolio allocation, we assumed the retiree follows a linear shift in asset mix, starting with 50% stocks at age 65 and moving to 0% in stocks at age 95.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The finished "postcard" follows the style of similar Curiosity images created in the past, including one taken in November 2021.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
The Bafta-winning series follows police officers working at the fictional Blackthorn Station in Belfast.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Henrietta follows me around when I carry things from pile to pile, doing this very quiet cluck, and turning her head to look at everything.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
Los Angeles quickly followed, restricting all student access.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The council’s discussion followed a story Monday in The Times which detailed how LA28 failed to adhere to the strict annual reporting requirements spelled out in the organization’s 2021 contract with the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Not everyone was happy with the new format and there were complaints that a serious, and sometimes emotionally draining sequence, was followed by a quirky item on, for example, rude-looking vegetables.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Participants in the exercise group followed a diet that created a modest calorie deficit.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
After that I followed her to the main elevator bank.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
A new documentary, ‘Going for Home,’ follows Altadena’s Little League in its historic season following the Eaton fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
She became a mother the following year, at the age of 16, and dropped out of school.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Sterling rose to a one-month high against the euro following upwardly revised U.K. economic growth data and after Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised fiscal discipline and improved ties with the EU.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
On Monday, Andrew Bailey announced his departure as the bureau’s No. 2 official following behind-the-scenes tension with Patel.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
All the following week the entire barracks was punished by an extra hour at attention.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
