# follow

Pronunciation: US say "FAH-loh" /ˈfɑloʊ/; UK say "FOL-oh" /ˈfɒləʊ/

## Verb

1. To come or go after something else in a sequence or order.
   - Simple: To come after something else in an order or list.
   - _Dessert usually follows the main course at formal dinners._
   - _These chapters follow one another in chronological order._
2. To go after someone or something, moving behind along the same path, often with the aim of catching them.
   - Simple: To go after someone or something and move along behind them.
   - _The detectives follow the suspect through the crowded market._
   - _A pack of wolves followed the herd across the valley._
3. To act according to instructions, rules, advice, or a religion or set of teachings.
   - Simple: To do what rules, instructions, or advice say, or to live by a religion or set of beliefs.
   - _Soldiers must follow orders without hesitation._
   - _She followed the recipe exactly and the cake turned out perfectly._
4. To subscribe to an account on a social media platform so its posts appear in your feed.
   - Simple: To sign up to see what someone posts on social media.
   - _Millions of users follow the celebrity's verified account._
   - _She followed several news outlets to stay informed._
5. To imitate what another person does, or to conform to an established example, pattern, or trend.
   - Simple: To do the same thing someone else does, or to keep doing things the way an example or trend shows.
   - _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._
6. To pursue a profession or calling closely, or to travel along a road or course.
   - Simple: To work at a trade or calling, or to travel along a road or path.
   - _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._
7. To understand something being explained, or to watch or listen to something closely, including tracking it with your eyes as it moves.
   - Simple: To understand what someone is explaining, or to watch or listen to something carefully, even as it moves.
   - _Do you follow my reasoning so far?_
   - _She followed the lecture without taking a single note._
8. To take a continuing interest in an event, person or team, keeping up with news about it or supporting it as a fan.
   - Simple: To keep up with news about an event or person, or to be a fan of a team.
   - _Investors follow the company's quarterly earnings closely._
   - _He followed the trial through daily updates in the paper._
9. 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.
   - Simple: When a story, movie, show, or report follows someone, it tells what happens to them over time.
   - _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._
10. 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.
   - Simple: To open the page or file that a link leads to.
   - _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._
11. To result as a logical consequence of something stated or assumed.
   - Simple: To be the result of something else, by reason or logic.
   - _If all the premises are true, the conclusion must follow._
   - _Several conclusions follow from this single assumption._

## Noun

12. The act of subscribing to another user's account to see their online activity.
   - Simple: The action of signing up to see another person's posts online.
   - _A single follow from a major influencer can bring thousands of viewers._
   - _She thanked her audience for every like and follow._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In billiards and similar games, forward spin on the cue ball that keeps it rolling on after it hits another ball; also, a stroke that gives this spin.

## Origin

Proto-Germanic *fulgāną ("to follow") developed into Proto-West Germanic *folgēn and then Old English folgian ("to follow, pursue"), which became Middle English folwen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/follow (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).