'Follow' definitions:
Definition of 'follow'
From: WordNet
verb
To travel behind, go after, come after; "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum" [ant: lead, precede]
verb
Be later in time; "Tuesday always follows Monday" [syn: postdate, follow] [ant: antecede, antedate, forego, forgo, precede, predate]
verb
Come as a logical consequence; follow logically; "It follows that your assertion is false"; "the theorem falls out nicely" [syn: follow, fall out]
verb
Travel along a certain course; "follow the road"; "follow the trail" [syn: follow, travel along]
verb
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" [syn: comply, follow, abide by]
verb
Come after in time, as a result; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake" [syn: follow, come after]
verb
Behave in accordance or in agreement with; "Follow a pattern"; "Follow my example" [syn: follow, conform to]
verb
Be next; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following"
verb
Choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" [syn: adopt, follow, espouse]
verb
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"
verb
Imitate in behavior; take as a model; "Teenagers follow their friends in everything" [syn: take after, follow]
verb
Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress" [syn: trace, follow]
verb
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" [syn: watch, observe, follow, watch over, keep an eye on]
verb
Be the successor (of); "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles succeed to the throne?" [syn: succeed, come after, follow] [ant: come before, precede]
verb
Perform an accompaniment to; "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano" [syn: play along, accompany, follow]
verb
Keep informed; "He kept up on his country's foreign policies" [syn: keep up, keep abreast, follow]
verb
To be the product or result; "Melons come from a vine"; "Understanding comes from experience" [syn: come, follow]
verb
Accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of; "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for years"
verb
Adhere to or practice; "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion"
verb
Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher" [syn: be, follow]
verb
Keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing" [syn: surveil, follow, survey]
verb
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" [syn: pursue, follow]
verb
Grasp the meaning; "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he lectures, I cannot follow"
verb
Keep to; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet" [syn: stick to, stick with, follow]
Definition of 'Follow'
From: GCIDE
- Follow \Fol"low\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Followed; p. pr. & vb. n. Following.][OE. foluwen, folwen, folgen, AS. folgian, fylgean, fylgan; akin to D. volgen, OHG. folg[=e]n, G. folgen, Icel. fylgja, Sw. f["o]lja, Dan. f["o]lge, and perh. to E. folk.]
- 1. 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. [1913 Webster]
- It waves me forth again; I'll follow it. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute. [1913 Webster]
- I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. --Ex. xiv. 17. [1913 Webster]
- 3. 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. [1913 Webster]
- Approve the best, and follow what I approve. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- Follow peace with all men. --Heb. xii. 14. [1913 Webster]
- It is most agreeable to some men to follow their reason; and to others to follow their appetites. --J. Edwards. [1913 Webster]
- 4. To copy after; to take as an example. [1913 Webster]
- We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we love. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]
- 5. To succeed in order of time, rank, or office. [1913 Webster]
- 6. To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise. [1913 Webster]
- 7. 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. [1913 Webster]
- He followed with his eyes the flitting shade. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- 8. To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling. [1913 Webster]
- O, had I but followed the arts! --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- O Antony! I have followed thee to this. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- Follow board (Founding), a board on which the pattern and the flask lie while the sand is rammed into the flask. --Knight.
- To follow the hounds, to hunt with dogs.
- To follow suit (Card Playing), to play a card of the same suit as the leading card; hence, colloquially, to follow an example set.
- To follow up, to pursue indefatigably.
- Syn: Syn.- To pursue; chase; go after; attend; accompany; succeed; imitate; copy; embrace; maintain.
- Usage: - To Follow, Pursue. To follow (v.t.) denotes simply to go after; to pursue denotes to follow with earnestness, and with a view to attain some definite object; as, a hound pursues the deer. So a person follows a companion whom he wishes to overtake on a journey; the officers of justice pursue a felon who has escaped from prison. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Follow'
From: GCIDE
- Follow \Fol"low\, n. The art or process of following; specif., in some games, as billiards, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it. Also used adjectively; as, follow shot. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
Definition of 'Follow'
From: GCIDE
- Follow \Fol"low\, v. i. 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.
- Syn: To Follow, Succeed, Ensue.
- Usage: To follow (v.i.) means simply to come after; as, a crowd followed. To succeed means to come after in some regular series or succession; as, day succeeds to day, and night to night. To ensue means to follow by some established connection or principle of sequence. As wave follows wave, revolution succeeds to revolution; and nothing ensues but accumulated wretchedness. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'follow'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abide by,
- absorb,
- accept,
- accept advice,
- accommodate,
- accommodate with,
- accompany,
- accord,
- act up to,
- adapt,
- adapt to,
- address,
- adhere to,
- adjust,
- adjust to,
- admire,
- adopt,
- afford proof of,
- agree with,
- align,
- angle for,
- ape,
- appear like,
- appreciate,
- apprehend,
- approach,
- approximate,
- arise,
- around,
- ascertain,
- ask for,
- assimilate,
- assimilate to,
- attend,
- attend to,
- augment,
- back,
- back up,
- be advised by,
- be consistent,
- be faithful to,
- be found wanting,
- be guided by,
- be inferior,
- be into,
- be like,
- be redolent of,
- be strong in,
- be vigilant,
- be watchful,
- be with one,
- bear resemblance,
- beat about for,
- beau,
- become of,
- bedog,
- believe in,
- bend,
- bolster,
- bring home to,
- bring to mind,
- buttress,
- c,
- call to mind,
- call up,
- carry on,
- carry out,
- catch,
- catch on,
- chase,
- check out,
- check up on,
- chime in with,
- chivy,
- cinch,
- cleave to,
- clinch,
- collimate,
- collineate,
- come about,
- come after,
- come behind,
- come close,
- come last,
- come near,
- come of,
- come on,
- come out,
- come short,
- compare with,
- comply,
- comply with,
- compose,
- comprehend,
- conceive,
- conclude,
- conduct,
- confine,
- conform,
- conform to,
- connect,
- connect with,
- consolidate,
- consummate,
- continue,
- convoy,
- copy,
- copy after,
- correct,
- correspond,
- counterfeit,
- court,
- cultivate,
- dangle,
- delve for,
- demonstrate,
- desire guidance,
- determine,
- develop,
- dig,
- dig for,
- digest,
- discharge,
- discipline,
- displace,
- do,
- do justice to,
- dog,
- echo,
- employ,
- emulate,
- end,
- engage in,
- ensue,
- ensure,
- equate,
- equidistance,
- escort,
- esquire,
- establish,
- eventuate,
- evoke,
- exercise,
- eye,
- eyeball,
- fail,
- fall astern,
- fall back,
- fall behind,
- fall in with,
- fall out,
- fall short,
- fare,
- fathom,
- favor,
- feature,
- fill,
- fish for,
- fit,
- fix,
- flow,
- follow a clue,
- follow advice,
- follow at heel,
- follow from,
- follow implicitly,
- follow like sheep,
- follow suit,
- follow the crowd,
- follow up,
- fulfill,
- gaze at,
- gear to,
- get,
- get hold of,
- get the drift,
- get the idea,
- get the picture,
- give chase,
- go after,
- go along with,
- go back,
- go backwards,
- go behind,
- go by,
- go gunning for,
- go in for,
- grasp,
- gun for,
- hang about,
- harmonize,
- have,
- have a case,
- have a looksee,
- have it taped,
- have nothing on,
- heed,
- heel,
- hold by,
- hold good,
- hold in view,
- hold water,
- hollo after,
- hound,
- hunt,
- hunt down,
- hunt for,
- hunt up,
- imitate,
- implore counsel,
- inherit,
- inquire,
- investigate,
- issue,
- join,
- keep,
- keep faith with,
- keep in sight,
- keep in view,
- keep under observation,
- keep up with,
- ken,
- know,
- lag behind,
- lay siege to,
- learn,
- limit,
- line up,
- link up,
- live up to,
- look,
- look after,
- look at,
- look for,
- look into,
- look like,
- look on,
- look up,
- look upon,
- major in,
- make after,
- make conform,
- make good,
- make out,
- make suit to,
- master,
- match,
- meet,
- mimic,
- mind,
- minor in,
- mirror,
- model after,
- mold,
- move behind,
- nail down,
- narrow,
- near,
- nearly reproduce,
- nose,
- nose out,
- not approach,
- not come near,
- not compare,
- not hack it,
- not make it,
- not measure up,
- not tell apart,
- obey,
- observe,
- pan out,
- parallel,
- parallelize,
- partake of,
- pattern after,
- pay attention to,
- pay court to,
- perform,
- persevere,
- persist,
- place parallel to,
- play second fiddle,
- postdate,
- practice,
- prosecute,
- prove,
- prove to be,
- prove true,
- prowl after,
- pursue,
- quest,
- quest after,
- raise the hunt,
- rank under,
- read,
- realign,
- realize,
- reconcile,
- reconnoiter,
- rectify,
- reflect,
- regard,
- regress,
- reinforce,
- remind one of,
- remove all doubt,
- replace,
- resemble,
- respect,
- restrict,
- result,
- retrogress,
- revert,
- root for,
- rub off corners,
- run after,
- run down,
- run to earth,
- satisfy,
- savor of,
- savvy,
- scout,
- search,
- search for,
- see,
- see through,
- see to,
- seek,
- seek for,
- seek out,
- seem like,
- seize,
- seize the meaning,
- sense,
- serenade,
- serve,
- set at rest,
- settle,
- settle the matter,
- shadow,
- shape,
- show,
- simulate,
- smack of,
- smell out,
- sniff out,
- solicit advice,
- sound like,
- spark,
- specialize,
- specialize in,
- spy upon,
- squire,
- stack up with,
- stalk,
- still-hunt,
- straighten,
- string along,
- subserve,
- succeed,
- sue,
- suggest,
- suit,
- supersede,
- supervene,
- supplant,
- support,
- swain,
- sweetheart,
- tackle,
- tag,
- tag after,
- tag along,
- tail,
- tailgate,
- take,
- take advice,
- take after,
- take in,
- take on,
- take out after,
- take to,
- take up,
- tall,
- tally with,
- terminate,
- trace,
- trace down,
- track,
- track down,
- trail,
- trail after,
- trail behind,
- try to find,
- turn out,
- understand,
- undertake,
- unfold,
- use,
- view,
- wage,
- want,
- watch,
- woo,
- work at,
- work out,
- yield