| | See Also: | | accede to, accommodate, act, adhere, analyse, analyze, apply, arise, ascend, be, behave, canvass, carry, chase, chase after, check, check into, check out, check over, check up on, choose, conform to, copy, copy, cox, dawdle, develop, do, dog, ensue, enter upon, examine, fall back, fall behind, go, go after, go by, go over, grow, guard, hang in, hang on, haunt, heel, hold on, imitate, imitate, invigilate, keep tabs on, lag, locomote, look into, move, obey, oblige, originate, persevere, persist, pick out, play, practice, proctor, replace, result, rise, select, shadow, simulate, simulate, spring up, stalk, study, supersede, supervene upon, supplant, suss out, tag, tail, tailgate, take, toe the line, track, trail, travel, understand, uprise, use, vet |
| | Definition: | |
\Fol"low\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Followed}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Following}.][OE. foluwen, folwen, folgen, AS. folgian,
fylgean, fylgan; akin to D. volgen, OHG. folg?n, G. folgen,
Icel. fylgja, Sw. f["o]lja, Dan. f["o]lge, 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. 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: Syn.- To pursue; chase; go after; attend; accompany;
succeed; imitate; copy; embrace; maintain.
Usage: - 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.
\Fol"low\, 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: Syn.- To {Follow}, {Succeed}, {Ensue}.
Usage: 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.
\Fol"low\, n.
The art or process of following; specif., in some games, as
billiards, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball
after hitting it. Also used adjectively; as, follow shot.
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