follow
Americanverb (used with object)
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to come after in sequence, order of time, etc..
The speech follows the dinner.
- Antonyms:
- precede
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to go or come after; move behind in the same direction.
Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.
- Antonyms:
- lead
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to accept as a guide or leader; accept the authority of or give allegiance to.
Many Germans followed Hitler.
- Synonyms:
- obey
- Antonyms:
- lead
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to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with; obey.
to follow orders; to follow advice.
- Antonyms:
- disregard
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to imitate or copy; use as an exemplar.
They follow the latest fads.
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to move forward along (a road, path, etc.).
Follow this road for a mile.
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to come after as a result or consequence; result from.
Reprisals often follow victory.
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to go after or along with (a person) as companion.
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to go in pursuit of.
to follow an enemy.
- Antonyms:
- flee
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to try for or attain to.
to follow an ideal.
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to engage in or be concerned with as a pursuit.
He followed the sea as his true calling.
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to watch the movements, progress, or course of.
to follow a bird in flight.
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to watch the development of or keep up with.
to follow the news.
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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.
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to keep up with and understand (an argument, story, etc.).
Do you follow me?
verb (used without object)
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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.
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to attend or serve.
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to go or come after a person or thing in motion.
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to result as an effect; occur as a consequence.
It follows then that he must be innocent.
noun
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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.
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Billiards, Pool. follow shot.
adjective
verb phrase
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follow through
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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
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to pursue closely and tenaciously.
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to increase the effectiveness of by further action or repetition.
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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
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to go or come after in the same direction
he followed his friend home
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(tr) to accompany; attend
she followed her sister everywhere
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to come after as a logical or natural consequence
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(tr) to keep to the course or track of
she followed the towpath
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(tr) to act in accordance with; obey
to follow instructions
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(tr) to accept the ideas or beliefs of (a previous authority, etc)
he followed Donne in most of his teachings
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to understand (an explanation, argument, etc)
the lesson was difficult to follow
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to watch closely or continuously
she followed his progress carefully
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(tr) to have a keen interest in
to follow athletics
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(tr) to help in the cause of or accept the leadership of
the men who followed Napoleon
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(tr) to choose to receive messages posted by (a blogger or microblogger)
I've been following her online
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rare (tr) to earn a living at or in
to follow the Navy
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cards
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to play a card of the same suit as the card played immediately before it
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to do the same as someone else
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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
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followsimple
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followssimple
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have followedperfect
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has followedperfect
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am followingprogressive
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are followingprogressive
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is followingprogressive
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have been followingperfect progressive
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has been followingperfect progressive
Past
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followedsimple
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had followedperfect
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was followingprogressive
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were followingprogressive
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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 chapters follow the restaurant’s improbable success, offering extraordinary anecdotes, such as how a Yugoslavian immigrant happened to open a red-booth, comfort-food Italian restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Police have praised the behavior of England fans in the US but urged fans back home to follow their example after over 500 domestic football-related incidents over the weekend.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
For the next few months, Kate Tolo plans to follow a strict four-hour morning routine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
See also: Sandisk’s stock could follow record-breaking quarter with another big jump, analysts say.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
He stepped in, almost disappeared immediately, and then encouraged me to follow.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The mixed picture follows a limited recovery in AI-related stocks in Asia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
It follows previous reporting by BBC Sport that Alonso had not been in contact with Liverpool in the weeks before taking the Chelsea job.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Set in 1897 in rural Australia, the film follows Davis’ Sybylla, who dreams of becoming a writer, an unconventional aspiration given her family’s poverty and societal norms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
What follows is not simply a list of grilling gear and impressive ingredients, but a tried and tested culinary adventure for all the parties, menus and moments you want to create.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
She follows, right on my heels, but Jonah’s way behind—still at the top of the stairs when we reach the bottom.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Activists say they applaud foreign exhibitions of heritage treasures — as long as laws guaranteeing their return are followed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The third investigation followed the downgrading of South East Water's credit rating by Moody's in May, which meant the firm was in breach of its licence condition.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Homeowners in Raleigh, N.C., were the most likely to cut prices on their for-sale listings, followed by homeowners in Denver and Salt Lake City.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The broader semiconductor sector followed suit, with shares of Micron, Intel, Marvell, and ARM Holdings all shedding 4% or more as investors questioned whether the dizzying AI trade has more room to run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
An American tank breaks through the fence of the compound, followed by seven others and twenty trucks loaded with troops.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
In a GoFundMe to raise money for a memorial service following the boy’s death, Legend was remembered as a “bright light in so many lives” and “a true godsend to those who loved him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
He was suspended from duties following the alleged incident involving a teenage girl in Colwyn Bay, Conwy county, in June.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Shares are down 65% over a year following clashes with big investors around Florence’s purchase of Homes.com.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Five days after Samba’s escape, around dawn, a team of 20 zookeepers descended on a bush in the local woods, following a sighting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Me and Charlie hung our hats, went on in, and settled at desks, Glenn following.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
