followverb
uk/ˈfɒl.əʊ/us/ˈfɑː.loʊ/follow verb (GO)
A2 [ I or T ] to move behind someone or something and go where he, she, or it goes:
[ T ] to go in the same direction as a road, path, etc.:
C2 to do the same thing as someone else:
More examples
- He made no answer but walked on, gesturing for me to follow.
- If you lead in the jeep, we'll follow behind on the horses.
- The dogs are specially trained to follow the trail left by the fox.
- The path follows the river closely, occasionally deviating round a clump of trees.
- In the silence that followed, a lone voice piped up from the back of the room.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Pursuing
- be hot on sb's track/trail idiom
- be on sb's tail idiom
- bear
- bear down on sb/sth
- bring
- bring up the rear idiom
- convoy
- hound
- in hot pursuit idiom
- on the scent idiom
- pester
- pursue
- pursuer
- run
- scent
- stalk
- stick
- tag
- tailgate
- track
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
follow verb (HAPPEN)
B1 [ I or T ] to happen or come after something:
B2 said to introduce a list of things:
More examples
- The women's 200 metre event will be followed by the men's 100 metres.
- I'd like a steak and fries with chocolate mousse to follow.
- The initial earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks.
- This announcement follows months of inaction and delay.
- The war was followed by a long period of peace and prosperity.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Occurring and happening
- afoot
- assail
- asynchronous
- attendant
- be at work idiom
- become
- come round
- come up
- event
- go ahead
- go down
- go hand in hand with sth idiom
- go together
- go with sth
- hand
- happen
- intervene
- materialize
- turn up
- underway
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
follow verb (OBEY)
B1 [ T ] to obey or to act as ordered by someone:
More examples
- I always follow the instructions on medicine bottles faithfully.
- He follows the orders of his boss without question.
- He followed the famous American dictum, 'Don't get mad, get even'.
- I followed the instructions to the letter and it still went wrong.
- Baking a cake isn't difficult - it's just a matter of following the recipe.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Obeying & breaking the law
- abide
- adhere
- afoul
- aid
- bend the law/rules idiom
- breach
- breaker
- clean
- clean up your act idiom
- commit
- compliant
- conform
- contravene
- disobey
- hold
- law-abiding
- perpetrate
- respect
- venal
- violate
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follow verb (HAVE INTEREST IN)
C1 [ T ] to have a great interest in something or watch something closely:
More examples
- Which team do you follow?
- She followed the trial with interest.
- They were able to follow the day's events on their portable radio.
- Analysts have been following the events with interest.
- Have you been following recent political events?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Excited, interested and enthusiastic
- aflutter
- agog
- all of a flutter idiom
- amped
- animated
- be as high as a kite idiom
- delirious
- exhilarated
- fanatical
- fascinated
- fasten
- fasten on/upon sth
- flushed
- flutter
- overheated
- overzealous
- passionate
- pop-eyed
- potty
- sniff
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follow verb (BE RESULT)
C2 [ not continuous ] to happen as a result, or to be a likely result:
More examples
- If we posit that wage rises cause inflation, it follows that we should try to minimize them.
- How can they claim to reduce taxes and increase spending? It doesn't follow.
- Just because the last forecast was correct, it doesn't necessarily follow that the next one will be.
- Just because one of the suspects has been eliminated from their enquiries, it doesn't follow that the remaining suspect is guilty.
- Because ladybirds eat greenfly, it follows that a decrease in the numbers of ladybirds will lead to a rise in the population of greenfly.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Occurring and happening
- afoot
- assail
- asynchronous
- attendant
- be at work idiom
- become
- come round
- come up
- event
- go ahead
- go down
- go hand in hand with sth idiom
- go together
- go with sth
- hand
- happen
- intervene
- materialize
- turn up
- underway
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follow verb (UNDERSTAND)
B1 [ I or T ] to understand something as it is being said or done:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Understanding and comprehending
- apprehend
- apprehension
- at your fingertips idiom
- attune
- bear in on/upon
- common
- fathom
- fingertip
- hit
- make sth/sb of sth/sb
- make sth/sb out
- mind
- penetrate
- picture
- read between the lines idiom
- reading
- realization
- take sth in
- twig
- understand
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follow verb (READ)
[ T ] to read the notes or words of a piece of music or writing at the same time as they are being played or said
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Writing, reading & studying music
- compose
- composition
- harmonize
- music
- music-making
- musical
- musicology
- orchestrate
- pentatonic scale
- recompose
- setting
- sheet music
- sight-read
- sol-fa
- songwriter
- tone-deaf
- transpose
follow verb (SOCIAL MEDIA)
[ T ] If you follow a particular person on a social media website (= a website where people can publish their thoughts, photographs, information about themselves etc.), you choose to see everything that person posts (= publishes) on the website.