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:
You can follow radio commentary from 21:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website and app, before switching to BBC Radio 5 Live from 22:00.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
"If a proposal advances, the Department will follow established procedures to ensure appropriate coordination, transparency and public involvement consistent with federal law."
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
With Anthropic planning an IPO as soon as September and OpenAI expected to follow next year, the need for credit backstops on their chip buys should lessen over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
He is particularly popular among young people who follow anime culture, video games and online communities.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Nine, at this point, was quite irritated with the half-dead fox, who seemed not only to have failed to follow their clearly mapped-out plan but to have forgotten it altogether.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Even on those matters, they question how much the city takes heed of their views or follows through on promises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Heaton's latest chart-topping LP - titled Jenius - follows his three with the Beautiful South and two more alongside former bandmate Jacqui Abbott.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Who’s more foolish,” asked Obi-Wan Kenobi, “the fool, or the fool who follows him?”
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
The compromise bill follows multiple attempts to change the law in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Justin follows her to the door, chewing on the collar of his pajama top.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
The behaviour change followed naturally as people became more careful with using the newly expensive utility, and it became embedded in the culture.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The rock energy continued on the main stage as Fontaines DC followed Charli, with both acts billed as headliners for the opening night of Reading.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Manufacturers recorded the largest withdrawals, followed by wholesalers and farm operators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
According to the report, the video shows that Jacobs followed her to the garage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Anytime he brings up Mom, it’s usually followed by silence.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Holly saw the pair repeatedly in the following few months.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
AFP this week spent several hours following Piker's live program on Twitch, where he streams daily to three million followers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
In the weeks following the July Fed meeting, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond climbed above 5.3%—its highest level since 2007.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
J. Cole’s concert in Sacramento was canceled Thursday, following the death of a crew member.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
So after a breakfast bowl of berries, Duane was out of his cave, following where his curiosity led.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
