Follow, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Followed; p. pr. & vb. n. Following.]
Etymology: [OE. foluwen, folwen, folgen, AS. folgian, fylgean, fylgan; akin to D. volgen, OHG. folg, G. folgen, Icel. fylgja, Sw. följa, Dan. fölge, and perh. to E. folk.]
1. To go or come after; to move behind in the same path or direction; hence, to go with (a leader, guide, etc.); to accompany; to attend. It waves me forth again; I'll follow it. Shak.
2. To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. Ex. xiv. 17.
3. To accept as authority; to adopt the opinions of; to obey; to yield to; to take as a rule of action; as, to follow good advice. Approve the best, and follow what I approve. Milton. Follow peace with all men. Heb. xii. 14. It is most agreeable to some men to follow their reason; and to others to follow their appetites. J. Edwards.
4. To copy after; to take as an example. We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we love. Hooker.
5 more senses
5. To succeed in order of time, rank, or office.
6. To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise.
7. To watch, as a receding object; to keep the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a course of thought or argument. He followed with his eyes the flitting shade. Dryden.
8. To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling. O, had I but followed the arts! Shak. O Antony! I have followed thee to this. Shak. Follow board (Founding), a board on which the pattern and the flask lie while the sand is rammed into the flask. Knight. -- To follow the hounds, to hunt with dogs. -- To follow suit (Card Playing), to play a card of the same suit as the leading card; hence, colloquially, to follow an example set. -- To follow up, to pursue indefatigably.
Syn.- To pursue; chase; go after; attend; accompany; succeed; imitate; copy; embrace; maintain. - To Follow, Pursue. To follow (v.t.) denotes simply to go after; to pursue denotes to follow with earnestness, and with a view to attain some definite object; as, a hound pursues the deer. So a person follows a companion whom he wishes to overtake on a journey; the officers of justice pursue a felon who has escaped from prison.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Follow, v. i.
To go or come after; -- used in the various senses of the transitive verb: To pursue; to attend; to accompany; to be a result; to imitate.
Syn.- To Follow, Succeed, Ensue. To follow (v.i.) means simply to come after; as, a crowd followed. To succeed means to come after in some regular series or succession; as, day succeeds to day, and night to night. To ensue means to follow by some established connection or principle of sequence. As wave follows wave, revolution succeeds to revolution; and nothing ensues but accumulated wretchedness.
Shades of meaning
Anything that comes after or goes after another, either in space or in time, is said to follow it. A servant follows or attends his master; a victorious general may follow the retiring enemy merely to watch and hold him in check; he chases or pursues with intent to overtake and attack; the chase is closer and hotter than the pursuit. (Compare synonyms for hunt.) One event may follow another either with or without special connection; if it ensues, there is some orderly connection; as, the ensuing year; if it results from another, there is some relation of effect, consequence, or inference. A clerk observes his employer's directions. A child obeys his parent's commands, follows or copies his example, imitates his speech and manners. The compositor follows copy; the incoming succeeds the outgoing official.