follower

[fol-oh-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that follows.

2. a person who follows another in regard to their ideas or belief; disciple or adherent.

   Synonyms: supporter
   Antonyms: foe, enemy, adversary, opponent

3. a person who imitates, copies, or takes as a model or ideal.

   He was little more than a follower of current modes.

4. an attendant, servant, or retainer.

5. 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.

6. British Informal.,  a boyfriend or suitor, especially of a maidservant.

7. Machinery.,  a part receiving motion from or following the movements of another part, especially a cam.

8. Engineering, Building Trades.,  a concrete form attached to the head of a timber pile to permit casting of a concrete cap or pier.

follower

/ ˈfɒləʊə /

noun

1. a person who accepts the teachings of another; disciple; adherent

   a follower of Marx

2. an attendant or henchman

3. an enthusiast or supporter, as of a sport or team

4. (esp formerly) a male admirer

5. rare,  a pursuer

6. a machine part that derives its motion by following the motion of another part

Word History and Origins

Origin of follower¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English folwer, Old English folgere. See follow, -er ¹

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The arrest of leader Han Hak-ja in September rocked the Unification Church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide and controls a sprawling business empire.

Read more on Barron's

And social-media influencers in fatigues tell followers how they, too, can become rich.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The next day, Mr Graham's group's public page, which has thousands of followers, posted Kevin's picture beside that of the other man, a convicted offender, saying they were the same person.

Read more on BBC

The social media posts that Prince William and his family share to their 17.1 million followers have a similar approach, with many showing them off-duty, with videos shot in woods, on sand dunes.

Read more on BBC

That was the case with one German influencer, with 900,000 followers, posted a picture with dozens of AI dalmatians captioned: "just me, living my dream".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• adherent 
• admirer 
• advocate 
• backer 
• believer 
• client 
• devotee 
• disciple 
• fan 
• member 
• participant 
• patron 
• supporter 
• worshiper www.thesaurus.com