follow
verb
uk
/ˈfɒl.əʊ/ us
/ˈfɑː.loʊ/follow verb (GO)
A2 [ I or T ]
to move behind someone or something and go where he, she, or it goes:
She followed me into the kitchen.
He had the feeling he was being followed (= someone was going after him to catch him or see where he was going).
follow the crowd Do your own thing, don't just follow the crowd (= do what everyone else does).
- followFollow me - this way!
- tag alongDo you mind if my little brother tags along?
- chaseHe was running and the dog was chasing him.
- pursueThe robber was pursued by several members of the public.
- tailThe car was tailed by police for several hours.
- shadowThe police think the robbers shadowed their victims for days before the crime.
- He made no answer but walked on, gesturing for me to follow.
- If you lead in the jeep, we'll follow behind on the horses.
- The dogs are specially trained to follow the trail left by the fox.
- The path follows the river closely, occasionally deviating round a clump of trees.
- In the silence that followed, a lone voice piped up from the back of the room.
- be on someone's tail idiom
- bear
- bear down on someone/something phrasal verb
- bloodhound
- bring
- bring up the rear idiom
- flight
- hard/hot/close on someone's heels idiom
- hot on someone's/something's heels idiom
- hound
- humbug
- in hot pursuit idiom
- pester
- shadow
- stick
- tailgating
- targetable
- track
- track and trace
- tracking
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
follow verb (HAPPEN AFTER)
B1 [ I or T ]
to happen or come after something:
as follows
See more - The women's 200 metre event will be followed by the men's 100 metres.
- I'd like a steak and fries with chocolate mousse to follow.
- The initial earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks.
- This announcement follows months of inaction and delay.
- The war was followed by a long period of peace and prosperity.
follow verb (OBEY)
follow instructions Follow the instructions on the back of the packet carefully.
- obeyChildren must obey their parents.
- followAll religions guide youths to follow the teachings of elders and parents.
- complyThere are serious penalties for failure to comply with the regulations.
- observePeople must observe the law.
- adhere toThey failed to adhere to the terms of the agreement.
- abide byPlayers must abide by the referee's decision.
- according toIf we do not act according to the rules laid down for such cases, there will be chaos.
- in line withWhat she did was not always completely in line with the law.
- in accordance withThe council has not acted in accordance with its obligations.
- obeyIf they don't obey the rules, they will be asked to leave.
- followWe are obliged to follow the law in this matter.
- I always follow the instructions on medicine bottles faithfully.
- He follows the orders of his boss without question.
- He followed the famous American dictum, 'Don't get mad, get even'.
- I followed the instructions to the letter and it still went wrong.
- Baking a cake isn't difficult - it's just a matter of following the recipe.
follow verb (HAPPEN)
[ T ]
to happen or develop in a particular way, or to act so that things happen or develop in a particular way:
follow verb (HAVE INTEREST IN)
follow verb (BE RESULT)
it follows that Just because I agreed last time, it doesn't necessarily follow that I will again.
- If we posit that wage rises cause inflation, it follows that we should try to minimize them.
- How can they claim to reduce taxes and increase spending? It doesn't follow.
- Just because the last forecast was correct, it doesn't necessarily follow that the next one will be.
- Just because one of the suspects has been eliminated from their enquiries, it doesn't follow that the remaining suspect is guilty.
- Because ladybirds eat greenfly, it follows that a decrease in the numbers of ladybirds will lead to a rise in the population of greenfly.
follow verb (UNDERSTAND)
B1 [ I or T ]
to understand something as it is being said or done:
His lecture was complicated and difficult to follow.
- understandI understand why he did that.
- comprehendHe doesn't seem to comprehend the scale of the problem.
- get the pictureOK. Don't say any more. I get the picture.
- followIt was so complicated I couldn't follow what he was saying.
- graspI think I grasped the main points of the lecture.
- digestThis chapter is so difficult to digest. I'll have to read it again later.
- appreciation for something
- apprehend
- apprehensible
- apprehension
- astutely
- catch
- colour
- handle
- I feel you idiom
- incoherently
- keenness
- keep someone up phrasal verb
- know a hawk from a handsaw idiom
- take something on board idiom
- taken
- tape
- tease
- tease something apart phrasal verb
- to get a handle on something idiom
- tune