fol·low (fŏl'ō) v.
fol·lowed, fol·low·ing, fol·lows
v.
tr.
To come or go after; proceed behind: Follow the usher to your seat.
To go after in or as if in pursuit: "The wrong she had done followed her and haunted her dream"(Katherine Anne Porter).
To keep under surveillance: followed the suspect around town.
To move along the course of; take: We followed a path to the shore.
To go in the direction of; be guided by: followed the sun westward across the plains; followed the signs to the zoo.
To act in agreement or compliance with; obey: follow the rules; follow one's instincts.
To keep to or stick to: followed the recipe; follow a diet.
To watch or observe closely: followed the bird through binoculars.
To be attentive to; pay close heed to: too sleepy to follow the sermon.
To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of: follow the stock market; followed the local teams.
To move along the course of; take: We followed a path to the shore.
To go in the direction of; be guided by: followed the sun westward across the plains; followed the signs to the zoo.
To act in agreement or compliance with; obey: follow the rules; follow one's instincts.
To keep to or stick to: followed the recipe; follow a diet.
To watch or observe closely: followed the bird through binoculars.
To be attentive to; pay close heed to: too sleepy to follow the sermon.
To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of: follow the stock market; followed the local teams.
To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of: follow a spiritual master; rebels who refused to follow their commander.
To adhere to; practice: followed family traditions.
To take as a model or precedent; imitate: followed my example and resigned.
To act in agreement or compliance with; obey: follow the rules; follow one's instincts.
To keep to or stick to: followed the recipe; follow a diet.
To watch or observe closely: followed the bird through binoculars.
To be attentive to; pay close heed to: too sleepy to follow the sermon.
To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of: follow the stock market; followed the local teams.
To engage in (a trade or occupation); work at.
To come after in order, time, or position: Night follows day.
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.
To occur or be evident as a consequence of: Your conclusion does not follow your premise.
To watch or observe closely: followed the bird through binoculars.
To be attentive to; pay close heed to: too sleepy to follow the sermon.
To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of: follow the stock market; followed the local teams.
To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand: Do you follow my argument?
v.
intr.
To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time.
To occur or be evident as a consequence; result: If you ignore your diet, trouble will follow.
To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand.
n.
The act or an instance of following.
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.
Sports To carry a stroke to natural completion after hitting or releasing a ball or other object.
To carry an act, project, or intention to completion; pursue fully: followed through on her promise to reorganize the department.
To carry to completion; follow through on: followed up their recommendations with concrete proposals.
To increase the effectiveness or enhance the success of by further action: followed up her interview with an e-mail.
Phrasal Verb(s): follow alongTo move or proceed in unison or in accord with an example: followed along with the song. follow through
Sports To carry a stroke to natural completion after hitting or releasing a ball or other object.
To carry an act, project, or intention to completion; pursue fully: followed through on her promise to reorganize the department.
follow up
To carry to completion; follow through on: followed up their recommendations with concrete proposals.
To increase the effectiveness or enhance the success of by further action: followed up her interview with an e-mail.
Idiom(s):
as followsAs will be stated next. Used to introduce a specified enumeration, explanation, or command.
Idiom(s):
follow (one's) nose
To move straight ahead or in a direct path.
Informal To be guided by instinct: had no formal training but became a success by following his nose.
Idiom(s):
follow suit
Games To play a card of the same suit as the one led.
To do as another has done; follow an example.
[Middle English folowen, from Old English folgian.]
Synonyms: 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.
What comes next, usually in the form of a list. For example, Mary planned her day as follows: returning all phone calls; a department meeting; lunch with her colleagues; library research. This term is always put in the singular ("follows") even though it applies to numerous items and is frequently followed by a colon. It was first recorded in 1548.
(fŏl'ō) 