follow the leader

American

[fol-oh thuh lee-der] / ˈfɒl oʊ ðə ˈli dər /

noun

a child's game in which players, one behind the other, follow a leader and must repeat or follow everything that leader does.

Etymology

Origin of follow the leader

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

Trevor Moore said it’s now a game of follow the leader.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2024

You have to follow the leader a little bit, and everybody is following the money so we should chase it too.”

From Seattle Times • Jul. 21, 2022

TV manufacturing has long been a game of follow the leader, and there are hundreds of budget options that provide much of what the higher-end brands do.

From The Verge • Jun. 3, 2022

"It’s a little bit of follow the leader," said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services in Hammond, Indiana.

From Reuters • Mar. 10, 2022

They played follow the leader and ran up and down the bank and jumped in the cold brown water.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023