follow

Formsfollows, following, followed

Pluralfollows

1. 1
   come nextverbtransitive or intransitive

   To come or go after something else in a sequence or order.

   Dessert usually follows the main course at formal dinners.

   These chapters follow one another in chronological order.

   UsageSet phrases: as follows (not incorrect: as follow) before a list, the following day, and to follow for what comes next.

   Similarsucceed, ensue

   Oppositeprecede

   Note

   Used without an object, it simply points ahead, as in roast beef to follow, or Sir Christopher Trychay's accounts of 1532, where each tenant's share of a levy to pay old debts is set out "as here after follyzth." Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Sir Christopher Trychay kept the accounts. en.wikipedia.org
   • The quoted passage dates from 1532. en.wiktionary.org
   • The accounts contain the exact wording “as here after follyzth.” en.wiktionary.org
   • The passage introduces assessments of parishioners to repay old debts. In context, “prysse” means the parish, not prices. archive.org
2. 2
   go behindverbtransitive or intransitive

   To go after someone or something, moving behind along the same path, often with the aim of catching them.

   The detectives follow the suspect through the crowded market.

   A pack of wolves followed the herd across the valley.

   UsageSay follow someone home (not incorrect: follow someone to home) or follow someone around.

   Similartrail, tail

   Oppositelead, guide

   Note

   The other meanings, from sequence to obedience, extend this picture of moving behind.

3. 3
   obeyverbtransitive

   To act according to instructions, rules, advice, or a religion or set of teachings.

   Soldiers must follow orders without hesitation.

   She followed the recipe exactly and the cake turned out perfectly.

   UsageCommon objects: follow orders, follow the rules, follow the instructions, follow advice.

   Similarobey, observe, heed, respect

   Oppositedisobey, ignore, defy, flout

4. 4
   online subscriptionverbtransitive

   To subscribe to an account on a social media platform so its posts appear in your feed.

   Millions of users follow the celebrity's verified account.

   She followed several news outlets to stay informed.

   Usagefollow someone on a platform: follow us on Instagram. The opposite is unfollow.

   Oppositeunfollow

   Note

   Social media's update of the sense of going after someone: you follow an account and its posts come to you, and it need not follow you back. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Following an account causes its posts to appear in your feed. help.x.com
   • Following an account does not require it to follow you back. en.wikipedia.org
5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To imitate what another person does, or to conform to an established example, pattern, or trend.

   When one airline cut its fares, the others quickly followed suit.

   New houses in the neighborhood must follow the style of the older buildings around them.

   UsageCommon phrases include follow suit, follow someone's lead, follow someone's example, and follow in someone's footsteps.

   Similarcopy, imitate, emulate, match

   Note

   This sense lives mostly in fixed phrases: follow suit, follow someone's lead, follow someone's example, follow in someone's footsteps. Follow suit comes from card games, where a player must, if able, lay a card of the same suit as the one led, so it fits a rival doing the same thing next. Follow a pattern or a style is more neutral and means keeping to it rather than copying a person. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • The expression follow suit comes from card games. bibliomania.com
   • In games requiring players to follow suit, this obligation applies when the player holds a card of the suit led. en.wikipedia.org
6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To pursue a profession or calling closely, or to travel along a road or course.

   The ship followed the coastline north for three days before heading out into open water.

   After ten years in banking, she left to follow her true calling as a teacher.

   UsageNo preposition: follow this road, follow a career, follow your calling.

   Similarpursue, practice

   Note

   A sense of paths and trades rather than people: one follows a course or a calling. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (first printed in 1623) has "O had I but followed the Arts," a regret for a path of study not taken. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Twelfth Night is by William Shakespeare. gutenberg.org
   • The play contains the quoted words, spoken by Sir Andrew. gutenberg.org
   • The quotation expresses regret about neglected study. gutenberg.org
7. 7
   understandverbtransitive

   To understand something being explained, or to watch or listen to something closely, including tracking it with your eyes as it moves.

   Do you follow my reasoning so far?

   She followed the lecture without taking a single note.

   UsageOften in questions and negatives: Do you follow? I don't follow means I don't understand.

   Similarunderstand, grasp, comprehend, get

8. 8
   keep trackverbtransitive

   To take a continuing interest in an event, person or team, keeping up with news about it or supporting it as a fan.

   Investors follow the company's quarterly earnings closely.

   He followed the trial through daily updates in the paper.

   UsageOften with closely: follow the news closely, follow a team.

   Similartrack, monitor, watch

   Oppositeignore

9. 9
   verbtransitive

   To tell a story by staying with particular people or things and showing what happens to them, as a film, book, show or report does.

   The documentary follows four nurses through their first year in an emergency room.

   The newspaper's three-part report will follow one family as they try to buy their first home.

   UsageMostly in the present for films and books: the movie follows a young girl.

   Similartrack, chronicle, shadow

   Note

   Reporters use it the same way for a story they cover over time, which shades into keeping track of events.

10. 10
    verbtransitive

    To go to the page or other destination a link points to, whether a person clicks or taps it or a program visits it automatically.

    Never follow links in text messages that claim your package is delayed.

    Search engines discover new pages by following links from pages they already know.

    UsageCommon in follow the link and in warnings: don't follow links in strange messages.

    Similarclick, open

    Note

    Web and security writing prefer follow to click because it covers tapping, keyboard use and software alike: a crawler follows links, and so does a person. Web developers also know the nofollow attribute, which asks search engines not to follow a link or count it as an endorsement. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • The nofollow link annotation asks search engines not to follow a link; it does not guarantee that they will refrain. developers.google.com
    • nofollow indicates that a link should not count as an endorsement. html.spec.whatwg.org
11. 11
    verbtransitive or intransitive

    To result as a logical consequence of something stated or assumed.

    If all the premises are true, the conclusion must follow.

    Several conclusions follow from this single assumption.

    UsageKey phrases: it follows that + clause, and follow from: conclusions that follow from an assumption.

    Similarensue

    Note

    Following becomes a matter of logic rather than time. It can also mean simply to ensue, as when illness is likely to follow poor hygiene. Source

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Poor hygiene increases the risk of illness; illness is not certain to follow. who.int

Showing meanings only. Show all 13