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- Dictionaryfollow/ˈfɒləʊ/
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 them: "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 the track of the railway line"
- ▪ 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): "they follow their March show with four UK dates next month"
- ▪ have (a dish or course) after another or others during 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: "I've been following this discussion closely"
- ▪ take an active interest in or be a supporter of: "supporters who have followed the club through thick and thin" 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 book, film, programme, etc.) be concerned with or trace the development of: "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 on tocatch on totumble 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. practise (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
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1L
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