follow
v. · n.-
1 to move behind (v.) A1 Beginnerto move behind someone or something that is going in front of you.
to move behind in the same path or direction; to pursue or go after.
ExampleThe little ducklings followed their mother across the busy road.
ExampleThe security team followed the suspect through the crowded terminal, maintaining a discreet distance to avoid detection.
UsageOften used with a direct object or as an intransitive verb with 'behind'.
-
2 to come after in time (v.) A2 Elementaryto happen or come after something else in a sequence.
to occur or exist after something else in a temporal or logical sequence.
ExampleMonday follows Sunday in the calendar every week.
ExampleA period of rapid economic growth followed the implementation of the new trade policies, surprising many skeptical analysts.
UsageCommonly used in the passive voice to describe historical or logical order.
Show 5 more sensesShow fewer
-
3 to obey or copy (v.) A2 Elementaryto do what an instruction, rule, or person tells you to do.
to act in accordance with instructions, rules, or a specific example.
ExampleYou must follow the instructions carefully to build the bookshelf correctly.
ExampleThe laboratory technicians must follow the safety protocols strictly to prevent any accidental exposure to hazardous chemicals.
UsageTakes a direct object like 'rules', 'instructions', or 'advice'.
-
4 to understand (v.) B1 Intermediateto understand an explanation or the meaning of what someone is saying.
to grasp the meaning or logic of an argument, story, or explanation.
ExampleI'm sorry, I don't quite follow your logic — could you explain that again?
ExampleThe professor's lecture was so dense with technical jargon that even the senior students struggled to follow his main thesis.
UsageOften used in the negative to express confusion.
-
5 to track or subscribe (v.) A2 Elementary Computingto keep track of someone's news or subscribe to their social media account.
to monitor the progress of an event or to subscribe to a user's digital content updates.
ExampleI follow my favourite chef on Instagram to see her new recipes.
ExamplePolitical analysts closely follow the polling data in the months leading up to a national election.
UsageIn a digital context, it is a transitive verb taking the account or person as the object.
- unfollow
-
6 to result logically (v.) B2 Upper Intermediate Academicto be a natural or logical result of something that happened before.
to be a logical consequence or a necessary inference from premises.
ExampleIf the shop is closed, it follows that we cannot buy any bread today.
ExampleFrom the evidence presented in the report, it follows that the current infrastructure is insufficient for the projected population growth.
UsageOften used in the phrase 'it follows that'.
-
7 social media action (n.) B1 Intermediate Informal Computingthe act of subscribing to someone's updates on a social media site.
the instance of subscribing to a user's feed on a social media platform.
ExampleShe was excited to get her first thousand follows on her new art blog.
ExampleThe marketing department tracked the number of new follows generated by the influencer's influencer campaign.
UsageUsually a countable noun.
From Middle English folwen, folȝen, folgen, from Old English folgian (“to follow, pursue”), from Proto-West Germanic folgēn, from Proto-Germanic fulgāną (“to follow”).