Definitions for Follow
ˈfɒl oʊfol·low

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.4 / 5 votes

1. followverb

   to travel behind, go after, come after

   "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum"

2. postdate, followverb

   be later in time

   "Tuesday always follows Monday"

3. follow, fall outverb

   come as a logical consequence; follow logically

   "It follows that your assertion is false"; "the theorem falls out nicely"

4. follow, travel alongverb

   travel along a certain course

   "follow the road"; "follow the trail"

5. comply, follow, abide byverb

   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"

6. follow, come afterverb

   come after in time, as a result

   "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake"

7. follow, conform toverb

   behave in accordance or in agreement with

   "Follow a pattern"; "Follow my example"

8. followverb

   be next

   "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following"

9. adopt, follow, espouseverb

   choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans

   "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals"

10. followverb

    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. take after, followverb

    imitate in behavior; take as a model

    "Teenagers follow their friends in everything"

12. trace, followverb

    follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something

    "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress"

13. watch, observe, follow, watch over, keep an eye onverb

    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"

14. succeed, come after, followverb

    be the successor (of)

    "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles succeed to the throne?"

15. play along, accompany, followverb

    perform an accompaniment to

    "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano"

16. keep up, keep abreast, followverb

    keep informed

    "He kept up on his country's foreign policies"

17. come, followverb

    to be the product or result

    "Melons come from a vine"; "Understanding comes from experience"

18. followverb

    accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of

    "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for years"

19. followverb

    adhere to or practice

    "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion"

20. be, followverb

    work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function

    "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher"

21. surveil, follow, surveyverb

    keep under surveillance

    "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing"

22. pursue, followverb

    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"

23. followverb

    grasp the meaning

    "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he lectures, I cannot follow"

24. stick to, stick with, followverb

    keep to

    "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. followverb

   To go or come after in physical space.

   Follow that car!

2. followverb

   To go or come after in a sequence.

   B follows A in the alphabet.

3. followverb

   To carry out in accordance to (orders, instructions, etc).

   Follow these instructions to the letter.

4. followverb

   To live one's life according to (religion, teachings, etc).

5. followverb

   To understand, to pay attention to.

   Do you follow me?

6. followverb

   To watch, to keep track of (reports of) some event or person.

   I followed the incumbent throughout the election.

7. followverb

   To be a logical consequence of.

   It follows that if two numbers are not equal then one is larger than the other.

8. Etymology: folwen, folgen from folgian, fylgan 'to follow, pursue', from fulʒēnan (compare West Frisian folgje, volgen, folgen), from *fulkan 'folk'. More at folk.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To FOLLOWverb

   Etymology: folgian, Saxon; volgen, Dutch.

   1. To go after; not before or side by side.

   I had rather, forsooth, go before you like a man, than follow him like a dwarf. William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor.

   2. To pursue as an enemy.

   Wherever guilt can fly, revenge can follow. Irene.

   3. To attend as a dependant.

   And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle. 1 Sa. xvii. 13.

   Such smiling rogues as these sooth every passion,
   That in the nature of their lords rebels:
   As knowing nought, like dogs, but following. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

   Let not the muse then flatter lawless sway,
   Nor follow fortune where she leads the way. Alexander Pope.

   4. To pursue.

   Not yielding over to old age his country delights, he was at that time following a merlin. Philip Sidney, b. ii.

   Some pious tears the pitying hero paid,
   And follow’d with his eyes the fleeting shade. John Dryden, Æn.

   We follow fate, which does too fast pursue. Dryden.

   5. To succeed in order of time.6. To be consequential, as effects to causes.7. To imitate; to copy.

   Where Rome keepeth that which is ancienter and better, others, whom we much more affect, leaving it for newer, and changing it for worse, we had rather follow the perfections of them whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we love. Richard Hooker, b. v. s. 28.

   Ill patterns are sure to be followed more than good rules. John Locke, on Education.

   8. To obey; to observe.

   If all who do not follow oral tradition as their only rule of faith are out of the church, then all who follow the council of Trent are no Christians. John Tillotson, Preface.

   Most men admire
   Virtue, who follow not her lore. Paradise Regain’d, b. vii.

   9. To confirm by new endeavours; to keep up indefatigably.

   They bound themselves to his laws and obedience; and in case it had been followed upon them, as it should have been, they should have been reduced to perpetual civility. Edmund Spenser.

   10. To attend to; to be busied with.

   He that undertaketh and followeth other mens business for gain, shall fall into suits. Ecclus. xxix. 9.

2. To Followverb

   1. To come after another.

   Peter followed afar off. Luke xxii. 54.

   The famine shall follow close after you. Jer. xlii. 16.

   Welcome all that lead or follow
   To the oracle of Apollo. Ben Jonson.

   2. To be posteriour in time.3. To be consequential, as effect to cause.

   If the neglect or abuse of liberty to examine what would really and truly make for his happiness misleads him, the miscarriages that follow on it must be imputed to his own election. John Locke.

   To tempt them to do what is neither for their own nor the good of those under their care, great mischiefs cannot but follow. John Locke.

   4. To be consequential, as inference to premises.

   Though there are or have been sometimes dwarfs, and sometimes giants in the world; yet it does not follow that there must be such in every age, nor in every country. William Temple.

   This dangerous doctrine must necessarily follow, from making all political power to be nothing else but Adam’s paternal power. John Locke.

   5. To continue endeavours.

   Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. Hos.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Followverb

   to go or come after; to move behind in the same path or direction; hence, to go with (a leader, guide, etc.); to accompany; to attend

2. Followverb

   to endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute

3. Followverb

   to accept as authority; to adopt the opinions of; to obey; to yield to; to take as a rule of action; as, to follow good advice

4. Followverb

   to copy after; to take as an example

5. Followverb

   to succeed in order of time, rank, or office

6. Followverb

   to result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise

7. Followverb

   to watch, as a receding object; to keep the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a course of thought or argument

8. Followverb

   to walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling

9. Followverb

   to go or come after; -- used in the various senses of the transitive verb: To pursue; to attend; to accompany; to be a result; to imitate

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Follow

   fol′ō, v.t. to go after or behind: to come after, succeed: to pursue: to attend: to imitate: to obey: to adopt, as an opinion: to keep the eye or mind fixed on: to pursue, as an object of desire: to result from, as an effect from a cause: (B.) to strive to obtain.—v.i. to come after another: to result.—n. (billiards) a stroke which causes the ball to follow the one which it has struck.—ns. Foll′ow-board, in moulding, the board on which the pattern is laid; Foll′ower, one who comes after: a copier: a disciple: a servant-girl's sweetheart; Foll′owing, the whole body of supporters.—adj. coming next after.—Follow home, to follow closely: to follow to the end; Follow on (B.), to continue endeavours; Follow suit, in card-playing, to play a card of the same suit as the one which was led: to do anything on the same lines as another; Follow up, to pursue an advantage closely. [A.S. folgian, fylgian, app. a compound, but obscure; Ger. folgen.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. follow

   To act or behave according to a specific code or rule.

   We have to follow the governmental guidelines to ensure we comply.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 14, 2020  

2. ---

   follow

   To read, be aware and understand a code, guideline, process, procedure, standard or document.

   WE had to follow the standard to ensure we were compliant.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 14, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Act
   • Be
   • Check
   • Choose
   • Ensue
   • Imitate
   • Move
   • Music
   • Obey
   • Originate
   • Persevere
   • Play
   • Practice
   • Result
   • Travel
   • Understand

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Follow' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1092

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Follow' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1243

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Follow' in Verbs Frequency: #43

How to pronounce Follow?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Follow in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Follow in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Follow in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of Follow in a Sentence

1. Domenico Scala:

   For me, the reforms are the central topic, that is why I think it is clearly indispensable to follow through with the initiated process of president's change as has been announced.

2. Detective Michael Fisten:

   They were former Miami cops, he paid an extremely large retainer to them and all their job to do was to follow the girls around and intimidate them.

3. Pierre Charron:

   The advice of friends must be received with a judicious reserve we must not give ourselves up to it and follow it blindly, whether right or wrong.

4. Pat McCrory:

   When you follow the mob, you become part of the mob. I saw this during protests in Charlotte, where people rightfully protested for Black Lives Matter. But then they didn't stop others, people from breaking the windows. They didn't defend the police, and the exact same thing happened yesterday in Washington DC. People who had a right to protest did not protest the violence and the breaking of laws, of taking over a hallowed institutional building. It's inexcusable.

5. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:

   The job of campaigns -- if we were to engage in one -- is to change minds. And the job of leaders is not to follow polls, it's to change polls, if I decide to run for president, I'll run, and my job would be to convince people to vote for me.

Popularity rank by frequency of use