follow
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follow
- /ˈfɒləʊ/ UK
- /ˈfɒlə/ Northumbria, UK
- /ˈfɔlo/ Scotland, UK
- /ˈfɑloʊ/ US, dialectal
- /ˈfɑlə/
- /ˈfɒloʊ/ Canada, dialectal
Rhymes with -ɒləʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English folwen, folȝen, folgen, from Old English folgian (“to follow, pursue”), from Proto-West Germanic *folgēn, from Proto-Germanic *fulgāną (“to follow”).
verb follows · following · followed · follow
- To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching. Follow that car!
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To go or come after in a sequence.
B follows A in the alphabet.
Similar: succeed, come after, ensue, follow, follow on · Opposite: precede, antecede, come before, forego
-
To carry out (orders, instructions, etc.).
Follow these instructions to the letter.
Similar: pursue
- To live one's life according to (religion, teachings, etc).
- To understand, to pay attention to. Do you follow me?
- To watch, to keep track of (reports of) some event or person. I followed the incumbent throughout the election.
- To be a supporter of (a sports team). "Sometimes I wonder what you do take any notice of—except the whistle and short skirts," speculated his superior. "But no doubt ideas are germinating." "I follow Chelsea," maintained Horace.
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To subscribe to see content from an account on a social media platform.
If you want to see more of our articles, follow us on Twitter.
Opposite: unfollow
-
To be a logical consequence of something.
It follows that if two numbers are not equal then one is larger than the other.
Similar: ensue
- To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling. O had I but followed the Arts.
noun follows
- In billiards and similar games, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it. a follow shot
- The act of following another user's online activity. It doesn't take too many follows to become overwhelmed with the deluge of content on Twitter.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pursue, come after, come, trace, keep up, stick with, watch over, stick to, survey, abide by, comply, observe, work, succeed, accompany, take after
Translations
Every language
verb to go or come after in physical space
| Español | seguir |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 따르다 ttareuda |
| 日本語 | 追う ou, 従う shitagau |
| 中文 | 隨 /随 suí, 跟隨 /跟随 gēnsuí |
| हिन्दी | पीछा करना pīchā karnā |
| Kiswahili | kufuata |
| Português | seguir |
| Français | suivre |
| Deutsch | folgen |
| Italiano | seguire |
| Ελληνικά | ακολουθώ akolouthó |
| Română | urma, urmări |
| Русский | сле́довать slédovatʹ, следи́ть sledítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | theo, đi theo |
| العربية | تَبِعَ tabiʕa, اِتَّبَعَ ittabaʕa |
| עברית | עקב |
verb to go or come after in a sequence
| Español | seguir |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 相次ぐ aitsugu |
| 中文 | 接續 /接续 jiēxù, 接連 /接连 jiēlián |
| Português | seguir |
| Français | suivre |
| Deutsch | folgen |
| Ελληνικά | επακολουθώ epakolouthó |
| Română | urma |
| Русский | сле́довать slédovatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | theo sau |
| العربية | خَلَفَ ḵalafa, تَلَا talā |
verb to carry out in accordance to
| Español | seguir |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 遵循 zūnxún |
| Português | seguir |
| Deutsch | folgen |
| Ελληνικά | ακολουθώ akolouthó |
| Română | urma |
| Русский | соблюда́ть sobljudátʹ, приде́рживаться pridérživatʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | làm theo |
| العربية | اِتَّبَعَ ittabaʕa |
verb to live one’s life according to
| Português | seguir |
|---|---|
| Français | se plier à, suivre |
| Deutsch | folgen, verschreiben, befolgen |
| Română | urma |
| Русский | сле́довать slédovatʹ, соблюда́ть sobljudátʹ, блюсти́ bljustí |
| العربية | اِتَّبَعَ ittabaʕa |
verb to keep track of
| Português | acompanhar |
|---|---|
| Français | suivre |
| Română | urmări |
| Русский | следи́ть sledítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | theo dõi |
| العربية | تَابَعَ tābaʕa, تَتَبَّعَ tatabbaʕa |
verb to subscribe to see content from an account on a social media platform
| 한국어 | 팔로우하다 pallouhada |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | フォローする forō suru |
| 中文 | 关注 guānzhù |
| Português | seguir |
| Français | suivre, s'abonner |
| Deutsch | followen, folgen |
| Italiano | seguire |
| Română | urmări |
| Русский | подпи́сываться podpísyvatʹsja, подписа́ться podpisátʹsja, фолло́вить follóvitʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | theo dõi |
| العربية | تَابَعَ tābaʕa |
verb to be a logical consequence of
| 中文 | 是...的必然结果 |
|---|---|
| Português | seguir |
| Français | découler |
| Deutsch | folgen |
| Ελληνικά | επακολουθώ epakolouthó |
| Română | reieși, rezulta, urma |
| Русский | сле́довать slédovatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | kéo theo |
noun the act of following another user's online activity
| 한국어 | 팔로우 pallou |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | フォロー forō |
| Русский | фолло́винг follóving, подпи́ска podpíska |
Talk about this word "follow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/follow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. follow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/follow "follow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/follow.Cite this
@misc{follow_2026,
title = {follow},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/follow},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
