Definitions for: Follow


[v] keep informed; "He kept up on his country's foreign policies"
[v] behave in accordance or in agreement with; "Follow a pattern"; "Follow my example"
[v] keep to; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet"
[v] grasp the meaning; "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he lectures, I cannot follow"
[v] follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress"
[v] be the successor (of); "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles succeed to the throne?"
[v] perform an accompaniment to; "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano"
[v] imitate in behavior; take as a model; "Teenagers follow their friends in everything"
[v] travel along a certain course; "follow the road"; "follow the trail"
[v] to travel behind, go after, come after; "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum"
[v] 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"
[v] keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing"
[v] choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals"
[v] work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher"
[v] 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"
[v] 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"
[v] adhere to or practice; "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion"
[v] accept and follow the leadership of command or guidance of; "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for years"
[v] to be the product or result; "Melons come from a vine"; "Understanding comes from experience"
[v] be later in time; "Tuesday always follows Monday."
[v] come as a logical consequence; follow logically; "It follows that your assertion is false"
[v] come after in time, as a result; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake"
[v] be next; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following"
[v] 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"



Webster (1913) Definition: 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?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.

It waves me forth again; I'll follow it. --Shak.

2. To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to
pursue; to prosecute.

I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they
shall follow them. --Ex. xiv. 17.

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.

Approve the best, and follow what I approve.
--Milton.

Follow peace with all men. --Heb. xii.
14.

It is most agreeable to some men to follow their
reason; and to others to follow their appetites.
--J. Edwards.

4. To copy after; to take as an example.

We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we
like not, than in defects resemble them whom we
love. --Hooker.

5. To succeed in order of time, rank, or office.

6. To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference
from a premise.

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.

He followed with his eyes the flitting shade.
--Dryden.

8. To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely,
as a profession or calling.

O, had I but followed the arts! --Shak.

O Antony! I have followed thee to this. --Shak.

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.


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: 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.


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.

Synonyms: abide by, accompany, adopt, be, come, come after, comply, conform to, espouse, keep abreast, keep an eye on, keep up, observe, postdate, pursue, stick to, stick with, succeed, survey, take after, trace, travel along, watch, watch over

Antonyms: antecede, antedate, come before, forego, lead, precede, precede, precede, predate

See Also: accede to, accommodate, act, adhere, analyse, analyze, apply, arise, ascend, be, behave, canvass, carry, chase, chase after, check, check into, check out, check over, check up on, choose, conform to, copy, copy, cox, dawdle, develop, do, dog, ensue, enter upon, examine, fall back, fall behind, go, go after, go by, go over, grow, guard, hang in, hang on, haunt, heel, hold on, imitate, imitate, invigilate, keep tabs on, lag, locomote, look into, move, obey, oblige, originate, persevere, persist, pick out, play, practice, proctor, replace, result, rise, select, shadow, simulate, simulate, spring up, stalk, study, supersede, supervene upon, supplant, suss out, tag, tail, tailgate, take, toe the line, track, trail, travel, understand, uprise, use, vet

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