followed
followed — verb
1. to move behind a person, animal, or vehicle and go where they go
to move behind a person, animal, or vehicle and go where they go
A small dog followed Esme all the way to the bus stop.
The children followed their teacher into the museum.
pattern: follow + [person] + into + [place]
A blue car had been following Rachid for several minutes.
progressive: had been following
Heloísa walked ahead while her younger cousin followed close behind.
adverb: close behind
- follow + [someone]
- follow + [someone] + to/into/through + [place]
- lead
to go first so that others follow you
Grammar Patterns
follow + [person/animal] + to/into/through + [place]
Usage Note
Often used with direction phrases like 'into', 'out of', 'through', 'along', or 'to'.
Common Mistakes
2. to travel along a road, path, or route
to travel along a road, path, or route
Follow this path through the forest and you will reach the lake.
imperative: Follow + [path/road]
Christopher followed the coastal road for almost two hours.
If you follow this street for three blocks, the hospital is on your left.
conditional: If you follow + [street/road]
Ziad followed the mountain trail until he reached the waterfall.
- follow + [path/road/street/route/track]
- follow + [road] + for + [distance]
Grammar Patterns
follow + [road/path/street]
Usage Note
The object is always a way, path, road, street, route, track, or similar.
3. in a card game, to put down a card that matches the symbol of the card played ju
in a card game, to put down a card that matches the symbol of the card played just before yours
Eli had no diamonds left, so he could not follow suit.
fixed phrase: follow suit
"You have to follow if you can," Tara said, placing a heart on the table.
In a game of bridge, you must follow the suit that was led.
rules context: follow the suit that was led
James played a spade, so everyone else at the table had to play a spade too.
- follow suit
- cannot follow
- must follow
- match the suit
a description rather than a single verb
Grammar Patterns
follow suit (fixed phrase)
Usage Note
Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'follow suit' in card games.
4. to act or behave in the same way as another person or group
to act or behave in the same way as another person or group
Hiro followed his older brother's example and joined the school band.
collocation: follow + [someone]'s example
When one shop lowered its prices, many others quickly followed.
intransitive use: many others followed
Dewi followed a recipe from a Korean cooking blog to make kimchi stew.
Several tech companies followed the startup's lead and launched similar apps.
collocation: follow + [someone]'s lead
- follow + [someone]'s example/lead
- follow + a/an + recipe/plan/trend
- follow suit
- differ from
to be or act differently
Grammar Patterns
follow + [someone]'s example/lead
follow + [a/the] recipe/plan/trend
Usage Note
Common in business contexts to describe copying a competitor's strategy ('follow someone's lead').
5. to happen or exist after something else, especially in time or order
to happen or exist after something else, especially in time or order
A loud thunderstorm followed the week of extremely hot weather.
pattern: [event 1] follows [event 2]
The main dish was followed by a light fruit dessert.
passive: was followed by
A long silence followed Hannah's question about the missing money.
The announcement was followed by a round of applause from the audience.
passive: was followed by + [reaction]
- is/was followed by
- [event 1] followed [event 2]
- come after
less formal; works for both time and order
- succeed
formal; often used for roles or positions
- precede
to come before something in time or order
Grammar Patterns
[event 1] is/was followed by [event 2]
Usage Note
Often used in the passive with 'by' to show sequence: X is followed by Y.
Common Mistakes
6. used to tell someone that several items or examples will be given next, especial
used to tell someone that several items or examples will be given next, especially in formal writing or speech
The rules of the competition are as follows: each team must have four players.
fixed phrase: are as follows
The winners for this year are as follows: James in first place, Élise in second.
The items you need to bring are as follows: a towel, a change of clothes, and a water bottle.
variation: [noun phrase] + are as follows
Our plan for the day is as follows: visit the museum, have lunch, then walk in the park.
- as follows
- are as follows
- is as follows
- the following
used as adjective before a noun: 'the following items'
Grammar Patterns
as follows (fixed expression)
Usage Note
Always appears in the fixed expression 'as follows' (not 'as follow'), regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.
Common Mistakes
7. to do what a person, rule, law, or instruction tells you to do
to do what a person, rule, law, or instruction tells you to do
The children were taught to follow the school rules from their first day.
collocation: follow the rules
Christopher carefully followed the instructions on the medicine bottle.
Drivers who do not follow traffic laws can receive heavy fines.
collocation: follow the law / traffic laws
Tunde refused to follow the doctor's advice about cutting down on salt.
The dog had been trained to follow every command its owner gave.
collocation: follow a command
- follow the rules
- follow instructions
- follow the law
- follow orders
- follow advice
Grammar Patterns
follow + noun phrase
Usage Note
Common objects include 'rules', 'instructions', 'laws', 'orders', and 'advice'.
Common Mistakes
8. to develop or move forward in a set direction, matching a known plan or structur
to develop or move forward in a set direction, matching a known plan or structure
The meeting followed a strict schedule, with each speaker given ten minutes.
pattern: follow + noun phrase describing the course
Wei's career followed a very different path from what his parents had expected.
The story followed a simple pattern: the hero left home, faced danger, and returned.
pattern: follow a [type of] pattern
The investigation will follow standard procedures before any charges are filed.
Quan's recovery followed a slow but steady path after the operation.
pattern: follow a [adjective] path
- follow a path
- follow a pattern
- follow a route
- follow a schedule
- follow a course
Grammar Patterns
follow + adverb phrase
Usage Note
Often used with 'path', 'pattern', 'course', 'route', or 'schedule' to describe how something develops.
9. to watch or pay close attention to something as it happens, changes, or develops
to watch or pay close attention to something as it happens, changes, or develops
Fans around the world followed the tennis tournament on social media.
follow + event on social media
Eliska followed the election news with great interest every day.
The detective had been following the suspect's movements for several weeks.
follow + movements / activities of a person
Shanti followed the trial closely, reading every update the newspaper published.
The whole class followed the science experiment as the teacher showed each step.
follow + an ongoing event / process
- follow the news
- follow events
- follow developments
- follow a case
- follow a story
- ignore
to deliberately pay no attention
Grammar Patterns
follow + noun phrase
Usage Note
Common objects include 'events', 'news', 'developments', and 'movements'. Different from sense 7 (OBEY) — this sense is about watching, not obeying.
10. to come about because of something that happened earlier
to come about because of something that happened earlier
If you eat too much sugar, health problems may follow.
intransitive: [result] follows from [cause]
A heated argument followed, and neither side would back down.
It does not follow that everyone who works hard will become rich.
idiomatic: it does not follow that...
If the dam breaks, widespread flooding will surely follow.
From these symptoms, the doctor concluded that an infection would follow.
pattern: [result] follows from [evidence/symptoms]
- it follows that
- as follows
- follow from
- cause
to make something happen, the opposite direction of cause and effect
Grammar Patterns
it follows that + clause
noun phrase + follows
follow from + noun phrase
Usage Note
Common in the phrases 'it follows that…' and 'as follows'. The subject is often an event or situation, not a person.
Common Mistakes
11. to understand what someone is saying or explaining while they are saying it
to understand what someone is saying or explaining while they are saying it
The lecture was so fast that Sana could not follow the professor's argument.
negative: cannot / could not follow
Pim found it hard to follow the complicated plot of the movie.
Do you follow what I am saying so far?
question form: do you follow?
The children could not follow the teacher's explanation because she used very difficult words.
Bilal nodded along to show that he was following the conversation.
idiomatic: follow the conversation
- follow an argument
- follow a conversation
- follow the plot
- follow what someone is saying
- hard to follow
- understand
broader; can be for general comprehension, not necessarily in real time
- grasp
more formal; suggests a deeper understanding
- miss
to fail to understand or catch what was said
Grammar Patterns
follow + noun phrase
can/could follow
Usage Note
Often used with 'can' or 'cannot', as in 'I can't follow you'. This sense is about real-time understanding, not general knowledge.
Common Mistakes
12. to look at written words or musical notes while someone performs or speaks them,
to look at written words or musical notes while someone performs or speaks them, matching their pace
The choir members followed the sheet music as the conductor led them.
music: follow the sheet music / the score
Mira followed the lyrics on her phone while the band played the song.
Darius tried to follow the French subtitles but the dialogue was too quick.
reading: follow subtitles / a transcript while listening
Rin followed the karaoke lyrics on the big screen, singing along with everyone else.
The pianist followed the conductor's baton while reading the complex orchestral score.
music: follow the conductor / the score simultaneously
- follow the music
- follow the words
- follow subtitles
- follow the score
- follow a transcript
- keep up with
more common in everyday speech; emphasises staying at the same speed
- lose
as in 'lose one's place' in the music or text
Grammar Patterns
follow + noun phrase
Usage Note
This sense is about simultaneous tracking — moving your eyes or voice along with a performance. Do not confuse with sense 9 (FOLLOW CLOSELY), which is about watching events unfold over time.
13. to subscribe to see updates from another person's account by linking your profil
to subscribe to see updates from another person's account by linking your profile on a social platform
Darius follows several chefs on Instagram to learn new recipes.
collocation: follow [someone] on [platform]
Nkechi started following a Taiwanese musician on YouTube after hearing his song.
aspect: start + following + [person on platform]
Tara follows her local news page on Facebook to stay informed about community events.
Élise follows a travel blogger on TikTok for ideas about her next holiday.
purpose: for + [reason]
- follow + [person/page]
- follow + on + Instagram/YouTube/Facebook
- start following
- subscribe to
more common for channels or newsletters; 'follow' is broader and more casual
- friend
implies mutual approval; 'follow' can be one-way
- unfollow
to stop seeing someone's posts
Usage Note
Commonly followed by a person's name or a brand/page. Use 'on' before the platform name (e.g., 'follow someone on YouTube'). This sense is specific to social media and is not used for offline contexts.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Follow (verb/1, GO BEHIND) means simply to move behind someone or something, often with no particular goal. Pursue adds the idea of effort and determination — you pursue a goal or a fleeing suspect, not a friend walking to school. Chase implies speed and an active attempt to catch up, as in 'a dog chasing a cat.' Track suggests following signs or evidence rather than direct sight, like tracking a deer through the forest by its footprints. Trail is close to track but often suggests following at a distance, sometimes secretly. For example: 'Hiro followed his brother to the park' (neutral), 'The police pursued the car for ten miles' (determined effort), 'The children chased each other around the yard' (fast, playful), 'The detective tracked the thief through the snow' (following clues).
Common collocations
Phrases
- follow suit
- as follows
- follow through
- follow up
- follow in someone's footsteps
- follow the crowd
Etymology
Follow comes from Old English folgian, which meant 'to go after, pursue.' It can be traced back to Proto-Germanic *fulgōną and is related to Old Saxon folgon and Old High German folgēn. Over centuries the word has expanded from physical pursuit into many figurative meanings — obeying rules, understanding speech, keeping track of events, and subscribing on social media.