follower
Americannoun
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followers
plural
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a person or thing that follows.
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a person who follows another in regard to their ideas or belief; disciple or adherent.
- Synonyms:
- supporter
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a person who imitates, copies, or takes as a model or ideal.
He was little more than a follower of current modes.
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an attendant, servant, or retainer.
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a person who follows or subscribes to another's posts on a social media website.
He spent hours figuring out how to get more followers on Twitter.
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British Informal. a boyfriend or suitor, especially of a maidservant.
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Machinery. a part receiving motion from or following the movements of another part, especially a cam.
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Engineering, Building Trades. a concrete form attached to the head of a timber pile to permit casting of a concrete cap or pier.
noun
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a person who accepts the teachings of another; disciple; adherent
a follower of Marx
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an attendant or henchman
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an enthusiast or supporter, as of a sport or team
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(esp formerly) a male admirer
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rare a pursuer
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a machine part that derives its motion by following the motion of another part
Synonym Usage
Follower, adherent, partisan refer to someone who demonstrates allegiance to a person, a doctrine, a cause, or the like. Follower often has an implication of personal relationship or of slavish acquiescence. Adherent, a more formal word, has implications of active championship of a person or a point of view. Partisan, ordinarily meaning a person prejudiced and unreasoning in adherence to a party, during World War II took on the meaning of a member of certain groups in occupied countries of Europe who carried on underground resistance to the Nazis.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of follower
First recorded before 900; Middle English folwer, Old English folgere. See follow, -er 1
Explanation
A follower is a person who believes in a particular cause, faith, or specific person. A follower of Hinduism, for example, usually worships many gods. You might be a follower of Islam and also a follower of a popular self-help writer. In either case, you are devoted, loyal, and interested. You can also use the word follower to talk about someone who literally follows another person. When you play tag and the person who's "it" runs behind you as you dodge around trees, that person is a follower. The Old English root is folgere, "servant or disciple," from folgian, "follow, accompany, or pursue."
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:
Fox’s coverage pivoted from hard fouls to trans panic, Clark got dragged into a fight she has spent three years trying to avoid and Cunningham’s follower count exploded.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
There is also a recognition that even very small influencers, who focus on niche topics, might have lower follower counts but come with a hyper-engaged audience.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
CXMT, as a relative newcomer, "remains in a follower position regarding leading-edge technologies", James Zhao, senior principal analyst at Omdia, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
For most of the last five years, Reid Mottet’s squarely four-figure follower counts on Instagram and TikTok were too small to interest big brands in her services as a momfluencer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“River’s still high,” said Tom, who was a faithful follower of whatever Malcolm said.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
In a separate Instagram story shared Monday, Kendrick thanked followers for their support and assured them “I’m okay,” according to a screenshot published by Complex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Instead, Lula will appear on the Flow podcast -- which has 10 million followers on YouTube -- starting half an hour before the debate.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
In a TikTok video,, external the Grammy winner told her followers her lungs feel "battery powered".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
That’s right: Oprah Winfrey persuaded her followers to buy a cylindrical glass container holding paper and air, for $45.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Students flocked to him, and he soon acquired a retinue of followers who wanted to learn from the master.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
