ZebraWords.com - The Definition of 'Follow', Synonyms of 'Follow' & More on 'Follow'

1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)

follow
    v 1: to travel behind, go after, come after; "The ducklings
         followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the
         guide through the museum" [ant: lead, precede]
    2: be later in time; "Tuesday always follows Monday" [syn:
       postdate, follow] [ant: antecede, antedate, forego,
       forgo, precede, predate]
    3: come as a logical consequence; follow logically; "It follows
       that your assertion is false"; "the theorem falls out nicely"
       [syn: follow, fall out]
    4: travel along a certain course; "follow the road"; "follow the
       trail" [syn: follow, travel along]
    5: 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"
       [syn: comply, follow, abide by]
    6: come after in time, as a result; "A terrible tsunami followed
       the earthquake" [syn: follow, come after]
    7: behave in accordance or in agreement with; "Follow a
       pattern"; "Follow my example" [syn: follow, conform to]
    8: be next; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following"
    9: choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies,
       strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement";
       "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" [syn: adopt,
       follow, espouse]
    10: 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"
    11: imitate in behavior; take as a model; "Teenagers follow
        their friends in everything" [syn: take after, follow]
    12: follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of
        something; "We must follow closely the economic development
        is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress" [syn: trace,
        follow]
    13: 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" [syn: watch, observe,
        follow, watch over, keep an eye on]
    14: be the successor (of); "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles
        succeed to the throne?" [syn: succeed, come after,
        follow] [ant: come before, precede]
    15: perform an accompaniment to; "The orchestra could barely
        follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano" [syn:
        play along, accompany, follow]
    16: keep informed; "He kept up on his country's foreign
        policies" [syn: keep up, keep abreast, follow]
    17: to be the product or result; "Melons come from a vine";
        "Understanding comes from experience" [syn: come,
        follow]
    18: accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of;
        "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for
        years"
    19: adhere to or practice; "These people still follow the laws
        of their ancient religion"
    20: work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a
        specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our
        resident philosopher" [syn: be, follow]
    21: keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him
        for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the
        bombing" [syn: surveil, follow, survey]
    22: 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" [syn: pursue, follow]
    23: grasp the meaning; "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he
        lectures, I cannot follow"
    24: keep to; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet"
        [syn: stick to, stick with, follow]

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Follow \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[=e]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.
      [1913 Webster]

            It waves me forth again; I'll follow it. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to
      pursue; to prosecute.
      [1913 Webster]

            I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they
            shall follow them.                    --Ex. xiv. 17.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

            Approve the best, and follow what I approve.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

            Follow peace with all men.            --Heb. xii.
                                                  14.
      [1913 Webster]

            It is most agreeable to some men to follow their
            reason; and to others to follow their appetites.
                                                  --J. Edwards.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. To copy after; to take as an example.
      [1913 Webster]

            We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we
            like not, than in defects resemble them whom we
            love.                                 --Hooker.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. To succeed in order of time, rank, or office.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference
      from a premise.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

            He followed with his eyes the flitting shade.
                                                  --Dryden.
      [1913 Webster]

   8. To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely,
      as a profession or calling.
      [1913 Webster]

            O, had I but followed the arts!       --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

            O Antony! I have followed thee to this. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
          [1913 Webster]

3. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Follow \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: 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.
          [1913 Webster]

4. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Follow \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.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

Thesaurus Results for follow:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

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