fol·low (f l  )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 through1. 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 up1. 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) nose1. 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 suit1. 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 Verb 1. to go or come after 2. to accompany: he followed Isabel everywhere 3. to be a logical or natural consequence of 4. to keep to the course or track of 5. to act in accordance with: follow the rules below and it will help you a great deal 6. to accept the ideas or beliefs of 7. to understand (an explanation) 8. to have a keen interest in: he's followed the singer's career for more than 25 years
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Verb | 1. | follow - to travel behind, go after, come after; "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum"go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" tailgate - follow at a dangerously close distance; "it is dangerous to tailgate another vehicle" shadow - follow, usually without the person's knowledge; "The police are shadowing her" carry - pursue a line of scent or be a bearer; "the dog was taught to fetch and carry" precede, lead - move ahead (of others) in time or space | | 2. | follow - be later in time; "Tuesday always follows Monday"come after, follow - come after in time, as a result; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake" | | 3. | follow - come as a logical consequence; follow logically; "It follows that your assertion is false"; "the theorem falls out nicely"ensue, result - issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end; "result in tragedy" | | 4. |  follow - travel along a certain course; "follow the road"; "follow the trail"go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" heel - follow at the heels of a person ascend - go along towards (a river's) source; "The boat ascended the Delaware" | | 5. |  follow - act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules"adopt, espouse, follow - choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" | | 6. | follow - come after in time, as a result; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake"ensue, result - issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end; "result in tragedy" follow - be next; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following" | | 7. | follow - behave in accordance or in agreement with; "Follow a pattern"; "Follow my example"go by - be or act in accordance with; "Go by this rule and you'll be safe" imitate, simulate, copy - reproduce someone's behavior or looks; "The mime imitated the passers-by"; "Children often copy their parents or older siblings" | | 8. | follow - be next; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following"be - occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?" come after, follow - come after in time, as a result; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake" | | 9. | follow - choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals"choose, pick out, select, take - pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her" abide by, comply, follow - act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" adhere, stick - be a devoted follower or supporter; "The residents of this village adhered to Catholicism"; "She sticks to her principles" | | 10. | follow - to bring something about at a later time than; "She followed dinner with a brandy"; "He followed his lecture with a question and answer period" | | 11. | follow - imitate in behavior; take as a model; "Teenagers follow their friends in everything"imitate, simulate, copy - reproduce someone's behavior or looks; "The mime imitated the passers-by"; "Children often copy their parents or older siblings" | | 12. |  follow - follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress"analyse, analyze, examine, study, canvass, canvas - consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning; "analyze a sonnet by Shakespeare"; "analyze the evidence in a criminal trial"; "analyze your real motives" | | 13. | follow - follow with the eyes or the mind; "Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the binoculars"trace, follow - follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress" keep tabs on - keep a record on or watch attentively; "The government keeps tabs on the dissidents" guard - to keep watch over; "there would be men guarding the horses" | | 14. | follow - be the successor (of); "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles succeed to the throne?"accede, enter - take on duties or office; "accede to the throne" supercede, supersede, supervene upon, supplant, replace - take the place or move into the position of; "Smith replaced Miller as CEO after Miller left"; "the computer has supplanted the slide rule"; "Mary replaced Susan as the team's captain and the highest-ranked player in the school" | | 15. |  follow - perform an accompaniment to; "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano"music - musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was his central interest" play - play on an instrument; "The band played all night long" | | 16. | follow - keep informed; "He kept up on his country's foreign policies"trace, follow - follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress" | | 17. | follow - to be the product or result; "Melons come from a vine"; "Understanding comes from experience"arise, originate, spring up, uprise, develop, grow, rise - come into existence; take on form or shape; "A new religious movement originated in that country"; "a love that sprang up from friendship"; "the idea for the book grew out of a short story"; "An interesting phenomenon uprose" come - exist or occur in a certain point in a series; "Next came the student from France" | | 18. | follow - accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of; "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for years"behave, act, do - behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people" | | 19. | follow - adhere to or practice; "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion"practice, use, apply - avail oneself to; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion"; "use care when going down the stairs"; "use your common sense"; "practice non-violent resistance" | | 20. | follow - work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher"vet - work as a veterinarian; "She vetted for the farms in the area for many years" cox - act as the coxswain, in a boat race | | 21. | follow - keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing"pursue, follow - follow in or as if in pursuit; "The police car pursued the suspected attacker"; "Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life" | | 22. | follow - follow in or as if in pursuit; "The police car pursued the suspected attacker"; "Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life"go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" stalk - go through (an area) in search of prey; "stalk the woods for deer" haunt, stalk - follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to; "her ex-boyfriend stalked her"; "the ghost of her mother haunted her" surveil, survey, follow - keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing" | | 23. | follow - grasp the meaning; "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he lectures, I cannot follow"understand - know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means" | | 24. | follow - keep to; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet"abide by, comply, follow - act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" |
follow verb 3. come after, go after, come next << OPPOSITE precede verb 4. result, issue, develop, spring, flow, proceed, arise, ensue, emanate, be consequent, supervene verb 5. obey, observe, comply with, adhere to, mind, watch, note, regard, stick to, heed, conform to, keep to, pay attention to, be guided by, toe the line, act according to, act in accordance with, give allegiance to << OPPOSITE ignore verb 8. understand, get, see, catch, realize, appreciate, take in, grasp, catch on ( informal) keep up with, comprehend, fathom, get the hang of ( informal) get the picture verb 9. keep up with, support, be interested in, cultivate, be devoted to, be a fan of, keep abreast of, be a devotee or supporter of  Translations follow [ˈfɔləu] vt → seguirI don't quite follow you → no te comprendo muy bien; to follow in sb's footsteps → seguir los pasos de algn; it doesn't follow that ... → no se deduce que ....
 follow [ˈfɔləu] vt → suivreto follow sb's advice → suivre les conseils de qn; it follows that ... → de ce fait, il s'ensuit que ...;
 follow [ˈfɔləu] vt → folgen +dat; follow on follow vi (continue); (case) → weiterverfolgen
 follow [ˈfɔləu] vt → seguireI don't quite follow you → non ti capisco or seguo affatto; to follow in sb's footsteps → seguire le orme di qn; it follows that ... → ne consegue che ...; follow on vi (= continue): to follow on from → seguire
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