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- DictionaryFol·low/ˈfälō/
verb
- 1. go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); move or travel behind: "she went back into the house, and Ben followed her" Similar come behindcome aftergo behindgo afterwalk behindtread on the heels ofaccompanygo along withgo around withtravel withescortattendtrail around withinformal:tag along withstring along withOpposite leadlead
- ▪ go after (someone) in order to observe or monitor: "the KGB man followed her everywhere" Similar shadowtrailpursuechasestalkhunttrackdoghoundcoursegive chase tobe hot on someone's heelsinformal:tail
- ▪ strive after; aim at: archaic "I follow fame"
- ▪ go along (a route or path).
- ▪ (of a route or path) go in the same direction as or parallel to (another): "the road follows a hidden sweetwater brook"
- ▪ keep track of; trace the movement or direction of: "she followed his gaze, peering into the gloom"
- 2. come after in time or order: "the six years that followed his restoration"
- ▪ happen after (something else) as a consequence: "raucous laughter followed the ribald remark" Similar resultarisedevelopensueemanateissueproceedspringfloworiginatestembe a consequence ofbe caused bybe brought about bybe produced bybe a result ofcome afterOpposite lead to
- ▪ be a logical consequence of something: "this argument simply doesn't follow"
- ▪ (of a person) do something after (something else): "he follows his surprise hit movie with a paranoid thriller"
- ▪ have (a dish or course) after another or others in a meal: "turkey was followed by dessert"
- 3. act according to (an instruction or precept): "he has difficulty in following written instructions" Similar act in accordance withabide byadhere tostick tokeep tocomply withconform toobeyobserveheedpay attention tonotehave regard tomindbear in mindtake to heartbe guided byacceptyield todefer torespectOpposite flout
- ▪ conform to: "the film faithfully follows Shakespeare's plot" Similar act in accordance withabide byadhere tostick tokeep tocomply withconform toobeyobserveheedpay attention tonotehave regard tomindbear in mindtake to heartbe guided byacceptyield todefer torespectOpposite flout
- ▪ act according to the lead or example of (someone): "he follows Aristotle in believing this" Similar imitatecopymimicapereproducemirrorechoemulatetake as a patterntake as an exampletake as a modeladopt the style ofstyle oneself onmodel oneself oninformal:take a leaf out of someone's book
- ▪ treat as a teacher or guide: "those who seek to follow Jesus Christ"
- 4. pay close attention to (something): "I've been following this discussion closely"
- ▪ maintain awareness of the current state or progress of (events in a particular sphere or account): "young Italians follow football" Similar be a fan ofbe a supporter ofsupportbe a follower ofbe an admirer ofbe a devotee ofbe devoted tobe interested incultivate an interest inOpposite dislike
- ▪ (of a person or account) be concerned with the development of (something): "the book follows the life and career of Henry Clay"
- ▪ track (a person, group, or organization) by subscribing to their account on a social media website or application: "if you've been following me on Facebook recently you may have seen a bunch of different posts about surgery and back trouble"
- ▪ understand the meaning or tendency of (a speaker or argument): "I still don't follow you" Similar understandcomprehendapprehendtake ingraspfathomappreciatekeep up withseeinformal:make head or tail oflatch ontocatch ontotumble togetget the hang offigure outget one's head aroundget one's mind aroundtake on boardget the pictureget the driftget the messagesee the lightsuss outsavvyrare:cognizeOpposite misunderstand
- 5. practice (a trade or profession).
- ▪ undertake or carry out (a course of action or study): "she followed a strict diet"
Word Origin Old Englishfolgian, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch volgen and German folgen.
Scrabble Points: 12
F
4O
1L
1L
1O
1W
4
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