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follow through

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
fol·low  (fl)
v. fol·lowed, fol·low·ing, fol·lows
v.tr.
1. To come or go after; proceed behind: Follow the usher to your seat.
2.
a. To go after in or as if in pursuit: "The wrong she had done followed her and haunted her dream" (Katherine Anne Porter).
b. To keep under surveillance: followed the suspect around town.
3.
a. To move along the course of; take: We followed a path to the shore.
b. To go in the direction of; be guided by: followed the sun westward across the plains; followed the signs to the zoo.
4. To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of: follow a spiritual master; rebels who refused to follow their commander.
5. To adhere to; practice: followed family traditions.
6. To take as a model or precedent; imitate: followed my example and resigned.
7.
a. To act in agreement or compliance with; obey: follow the rules; follow one's instincts.
b. To keep to or stick to: followed the recipe; follow a diet.
8. To engage in (a trade or occupation); work at.
9. To come after in order, time, or position: Night follows day.
10. To bring something about at a later time than or as a consequence of: She followed her lecture with a question-and-answer period. The band followed its hit record with a tour.
11. To occur or be evident as a consequence of: Your conclusion does not follow your premise.
12.
a. To watch or observe closely: followed the bird through binoculars.
b. To be attentive to; pay close heed to: too sleepy to follow the sermon.
c. To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of: follow the stock market; followed the local teams.
13. To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand: Do you follow my argument?
v.intr.
1. To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time.
2. To occur or be evident as a consequence; result: If you ignore your diet, trouble will follow.
3. To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand.
n.
1. The act or an instance of following.
2. Games A billiards shot in which the cue ball is struck above center so that it follows the path of the object ball after impact.
Phrasal Verbs:
follow along
To move or proceed in unison or in accord with an example: followed along with the song.
follow through
1. Sports To carry a stroke to natural completion after hitting or releasing a ball or other object.
2. To carry an act, project, or intention to completion; pursue fully: followed through on her promise to reorganize the department.
follow up
1. To carry to completion; follow through on: followed up their recommendations with concrete proposals.
2. To increase the effectiveness or enhance the success of by further action: followed up her interview with an e-mail.
Idioms:
as follows
As will be stated next. Used to introduce a specified enumeration, explanation, or command.
follow (one's) nose
1. To move straight ahead or in a direct path.
2. Informal To be guided by instinct: had no formal training but became a success by following his nose.
follow suit
1. Games To play a card of the same suit as the one led.
2. To do as another has done; follow an example.

[Middle English folowen, from Old English folgian.]
Synonyms: follow, succeed, ensue, result, supervene
These verbs mean to come after something or someone. Follow, which has the widest application, can refer to coming after in time or order, as a consequence or result, or by the operation of logic: Night follows day. He disregarded doctor's orders, and a relapse followed. Because she decries violence, it follows that she won't carry a gun. To succeed is to come next after another, especially in planned order determined by considerations such as rank, inheritance, or election: The heir apparent succeeded to the throne.
Ensue usually applies to what is a consequence or logical development: After the government was toppled, chaos ensued.
Result implies that what follows is caused by what has preceded: Failure to file an income tax return can result in a fine.
Supervene, in contrast, refers to something that is often unexpected and that has little relation to what has preceded: "A bad harvest supervened" (Charlotte Brontë).
Usage Note: As follows (not as follow) is the established form of the idiom regardless of whether the noun that precedes it is singular or plural: The regulations are as follows.

follow through
vb (adverb)
1. (Individual Sports & Recreations / Tennis) Sport to complete (a stroke or shot) by continuing the movement to the end of its arc
2. (tr) to pursue (an aim) to a conclusion
n follow-through
1. (Individual Sports, other than specified) Sport
a.  the act of following through
b.  the part of the stroke after the ball has been hit
2. the completion of a procedure, esp after a first action
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.follow through - carry a stroke to natural completion after hitting or releasing a ball
athletics, sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
hit - cause to move by striking; "hit a ball"
2.follow through - pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue; "Did he go through with the treatment?"; "He implemented a new economic plan"; "She followed up his recommendations with a written proposal"
complete, finish - come or bring to a finish or an end; "He finished the dishes"; "She completed the requirements for her Master's Degree"; "The fastest runner finished the race in just over 2 hours; others finished in over 4 hours"
adhere - follow through or carry out a plan without deviation; "They adhered to their plan"
accomplish, carry out, carry through, fulfil, fulfill, action, execute - put in effect; "carry out a task"; "execute the decision of the people"; "He actioned the operation"
Translations
? follow through
vt sep argumentdurchdenken, (zu Ende) verfolgen; idea, plan, undertaking(zu Ende) verfolgen, durchziehen
vi
(Sport) → durchschwingen
to follow through with something (with plan) → etw zu Ende verfolgen; (with threat) → etw wahr machen


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