follow
follow
(fɒloʊ )Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense follows , present participle following , past tense, past participle followed
1. verb
2. verb
3. verb
If you follow someone to a place where they have recently gone and where they are now, you go to join them there.
He followed Janice to New York, where she was preparing an exhibition. [VERB noun + to]
4. verb
An event, activity, or period of time that follows a particular thing happens or comes after that thing, at a later time.
...the rioting and looting that followed the verdict. [VERB noun]
I remember nothing else about the days following Daddy's death. [VERB noun]
He was arrested in the confusion which followed. [VERB]
Other problems may follow. [VERB]
Eyewitnesses spoke of a noise followed by a huge red light. [VERB-ed]
5. verb
If you follow one thing with another, you do or say the second thing after you have done or said the first thing.
Her first major role was in Martin Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' and she followed this with a part in Spike Lee's 'Jungle Fever'. [VERB noun + with]
Follow up means the same as follow.
The book proved such a success that the authors followed it up with 'The Messianic Legacy'. [VERB noun PARTICLE + with]
6. verb
If it follows that a particular thing is the case, that thing is a logical result of something else being true or being the case.
Just because a bird does not breed one year, it does not follow that it will fail the next. [VERB that]
If the explanation is right, two things follow. [VERB]
It is easy to see the conclusions described in the text follow from this equation. [VERB + from]
7. verb
If you refer to the words that follow or followed, you are referring to the words that come next or came next in a piece of writing or speech.
What follows is an eye-witness account. [VERB]
There followed a list of places where Hans intended to visit. [there V n]
General analysis is followed by five case studies. [be VERB-ed + by]
8. verb
If you follow a path, route, or set of signs, you go somewhere using the path, route, or signs to direct you.
If they followed the road, they would be certain to reach a village. [VERB noun]
All we had to do was follow the map. [VERB noun]
I followed the signs to Metrocity. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
9. verb
If something such as a path or river follows a particular route or line, it goes along that route or line.
Our route follows the Pacific coast through densely populated neighbourhoods. [VERB noun]
The Lot river follows a winding and tortuous course. [VERB noun]
10. verb
If you follow something with your eyes, or if your eyes follow it, you watch it as it moves or you look along its route or course.
Ann's eyes followed a police car as it drove slowly past. [VERB noun]
11. verb
Something that follows a particular course of development happens or develops in that way.
His release turned out to follow the pattern set by that of the other six hostages. [VERB noun]
12. verb
If you follow advice, an instruction, or a recipe, you act or do something in the way that it indicates.
Take care to follow the instructions carefully. [VERB noun]
No two chefs follow the same recipe. [VERB noun]
13. verb
If you follow what someone else has done, you do it too because you think it is a good thing or because you want to copy them.
His admiration for the athlete did not extend to the point where he would follow his example in taking drugs. [VERB noun]
Where eastern Germany goes the rest will surely follow. [VERB]
14. verb
If you follow someone in what you do, you do the same thing or job as they did previously.
He followed his father and became a surgeon. [VERB noun]
Anni-Frid's son has followed her into the music business. [VERB noun + into]
15. verb
16. verb
If you follow something, you take an interest in it and keep informed about what happens.
...the millions of people who follow football because they genuinely love it. [VERB noun]
She was following Laura's progress closely. [VERB noun]
17. verb
A story, film, or television programme that follows someone or something is about their experiences over a particular period of time.
The film follows the fortunes of two women. [VERB noun]
18. verb
19. verb
If you follow a particular religion or political belief, you have that religion or belief.
'Do you follow any particular religion?'—'Yes, we're all Hindus.' [VERB noun]
20. See also following
21.
22.
23.
26. to follow suit
Phrasal verbs:
