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Another word for follow

a-z
Verb

  1. To keep (another) under surveillance by moving along behind

      1. The posterior part of an animal, especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body.
      2. The lowest part of a garment such as a shirt or coat.
      3. The rear end of an automobile or other vehicle.
      1. A dog used to hunt game birds; a gun dog.
      2. One that bird-dogs.
      3. A scout, especially in baseball.
      1. To allow to drag or stream behind, as along the ground:
      2. To drag (the body, for example) wearily or heavily.
      3. To follow the traces or scent of, as in hunting; track.
      1. A mark or succession of marks left by something that has passed.
      2. A path, route, or course indicated by such marks:
      3. A path along which something moves; a course:
      1. A dark area or shape made by an object blocking rays of light.
      2. The darkness or diminished light caused by the blocking of a light source:
      3. A darker area in a picture or photograph.
      1. A domesticated carnivorous mammal (Canis familiaris syn. Canis lupus subsp. familiaris) occurring as a wide variety of breeds, many of which are traditionally used for hunting, herding, drawing sleds, and other tasks, and are kept as pets.
      2. Any of various carnivorous mammals of the family Canidae, such as the dingo.
      3. A male animal of the family Canidae, especially of a fox or a domesticated breed.
    See also:

    precede

  2. To act in conformity with

      1. To be or become aware of, especially through careful and directed attention; notice:
      2. To watch attentively:
      3. To make a systematic or scientific observation of:
      1. To carry out or fulfill the command, order, or instruction of.
      2. To carry out or comply with (a command, for example).
      3. To behave obediently.
      1. The part or faculty of a person by which one feels, perceives, thinks, remembers, desires, and imagines:
      2. A person of great mental ability:
      3. Individual consciousness, memory, or recollection:
      1. To retain possession of:
      2. To have as a supply:
      3. To provide (a family, for example) with maintenance and support:
      1. To be or act in accord with a set of standards, expectations, or specifications:
      2. To act, often unquestioningly, in accordance with traditional customs or prevailing standards:
      3. To be similar in form or pattern:
      1. To act in accordance with another's command, request, rule, or wish:
      2. To be courteous or obedient.
      1. To stick fast to something; stay attached:
      2. To remain devoted to or be in support of something:
      3. To carry out a plan, scheme, or operation without deviation:
      1. To accept a decision or law and act in accordance with it; to conform to; to acquiesce.
      2. To remain faithful to something or someone; to stand to; to adhere.
    Idioms:
    See also:

    same

    accept

  3. To take as a model or make conform to a model

    Idioms:
    See also:

    same

  4. To occur after in time

      1. To come or occur as something extraneous, additional, or unexpected.
      2. To follow immediately after; ensue.
      3. To be dependent on a set of facts or properties in such a way that change can occur only after change has occurred in those facts or properties.
      1. To come next in time or order:
      2. To replace another in office or position:
      3. To accomplish something desired or intended:
      1. To take place afterward or as a result.
    Idioms:
    See also:

    time

    precede

  5. To occur as a consequence

    See also:

    precede

    cause

  6. To perceive and recognize the meaning of

      1. Perception; understanding:
      2. Range of vision.
      3. View; sight.
      1. A young shoot representing the current season's growth of a woody plant.
      2. Any small, leafless branch of a woody plant.
      1. To break up, turn over, or remove (earth or sand, for example), as with a shovel, spade, or snout, or with claws, paws or hands.
      2. To make or form by removing earth or other material:
      3. To prepare (soil) by loosening or cultivating.
      1. Well informed and perceptive; shrewd:
      2. Knowledgeable or proficient. Often used in combination:
      3. Practical understanding or shrewdness:
      1. To become aware of the nature and significance of; know or comprehend:
      2. To become aware of the intended meaning of (a person or remark, for example):
      3. To know and be tolerant or sympathetic toward:
      1. The act or an instance of swindling or cheating; a deception.
      1. To grasp or grip:
      2. To capture physically; seize:
      3. To seize with authority or legal right:
      1. Any of the faculties by which stimuli from outside or inside the body are received and felt, as the faculties of hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste, and equilibrium.
      2. A perception or feeling produced by a stimulus; sensation:
      3. The faculties of sensation as means of providing physical gratification and pleasure.
      1. To perceive with the eye:
      2. To detect by means analogous to use of the eye:
      3. To attend or view as a spectator:
      1. To examine and grasp the meaning of (written or printed characters, words, or sentences).
      2. To utter or render aloud (written or printed material):
      3. To have the ability to examine and grasp the meaning of (written or printed material in a given language or notation):
      1. To draw up (a document etc.), to designate (a cheque) to a given recipient, payee. [from 15th c.]
      2. To discern; to manage to see, hear etc. [from 16th c.]
      3. (now chiefly US, regional, intransitive) To manage, get along; to do (well, badly etc.). [from 17th c.]
      1. To take hold of or seize firmly with the hand, the foot, another body part, or an instrument:
      2. To hold with the arms; embrace.
      3. To take hold of intellectually; comprehend.
      1. To come into possession or use of; receive:
      2. To meet with or incur:
      3. To go after and obtain:
      1. A unit of length equal to 6 feet (1.83 meters), used principally in the measurement and specification of marine depths.
      2. To penetrate to the meaning or nature of; comprehend.
      3. To determine the depth of; sound.
      1. To become pregnant with (offspring):
      2. To form or develop in the mind:
      3. To apprehend mentally; understand:
      1. To take in the meaning, nature, or importance of; grasp.
      2. To have as part of something larger; encompass or include.
      1. A device used to determine geographic direction, usually consisting of a magnetic needle or needles horizontally mounted or suspended and free to pivot until aligned with the earth's magnetic field.
      2. Another device, such as a radio compass or a gyrocompass, used for determining geographic direction.
      3. A V-shaped device for describing circles or circular arcs and for taking measurements, consisting of a pair of rigid, end-hinged legs, one of which is equipped with a pen, pencil, or other marker and the other with a sharp point providing a pivot about which the drawing leg is turned.
      1. To get and hold (something that has been in motion) in a hand, the hands, a container, or an implement:
      2. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp:
      3. To stop (oneself) from doing an action:
      1. To take into custody; arrest:
      2. To grasp mentally; understand:
      3. To become conscious of, as through the emotions or senses; perceive:
      1. To answer affirmatively:
      2. To agree to take (a duty or responsibility).
      3. To receive (something offered), especially with gladness or approval:
    Idioms:
    See also:

    understand

Idioms:

    follow through

  1. To strengthen the effect of (an action) by further action

    2. follow up

  2. To strengthen the effect of (an action) by further action

© Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Another word for follow

Verb

  1. To come after

    See also:

    succeed

  2. To regulate one's action

    See also:

    conform

    Antonyms:

  3. To be a follower

      1. To be present at:
      2. To go regularly to:
      3. To accompany as a circumstance or follow as a result:
      1. To bear the weight of, especially from below; keep from falling, sinking, or slipping:
      2. To bear or hold up (an amount of weight):
      3. To keep from weakening or failing; give confidence or comfort to:
      1. To work for (someone) as a servant:
      2. To prepare and offer (food, for example):
      3. To place food before (someone); wait on:
    See also:

    obey

    accompany

  4. To go in pursuit of

      1. A stem or main axis of a herbaceous plant.
      2. A stem or similar structure that supports a plant part such as a flower, flower cluster, or leaf.
      3. A slender or elongated support or structure, as one that holds up an organ or another body part.
      1. A mark or succession of marks left by something that has passed.
      2. A path, route, or course indicated by such marks:
      3. A path along which something moves; a course:
      1. To allow to drag or stream behind, as along the ground:
      2. To drag (the body, for example) wearily or heavily.
      3. To follow the traces or scent of, as in hunting; track.
      1. To follow rapidly in order to catch or overtake; pursue:
      2. To follow (game) in order to capture or kill; hunt:
      3. To seek the favor or company of persistently:
    See also:

    pursue

  5. To observe

    See also:

    watch

  6. To understand

      1. To take hold of or seize firmly with the hand, the foot, another body part, or an instrument:
      2. To hold with the arms; embrace.
      3. To take hold of intellectually; comprehend.
      1. To get and hold (something that has been in motion) in a hand, the hands, a container, or an implement:
      2. To take hold of, especially forcibly or suddenly; grasp:
      3. To stop (oneself) from doing an action:
      1. To take in the meaning, nature, or importance of; grasp.
      2. To have as part of something larger; encompass or include.
    See also:

    understand

  7. To result

    See also:

    result

Synonym Study

  • Result stresses a definite relationship of cause and effect between what follows and what preceded crime that results from poverty
  • Succeed implies that what follows takes the place of what preceded who succeeded Polk to the presidency?
  • Ensue implies that what follows comes as a logical consequence of what preceded clouds appeared and rain ensued
  • Follow is the general word meaning to come or occur after, but it does not necessarily imply a causal relationship with what goes before sunshine followed by rain
© WEBSTER’S NEW WORLD® ROGET’S A-Z THESAURUS by Charlton Laird and the editors of Webster’s New World dictionaries. Copyright © 1999 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Sentence Examples

  • I'll follow you back to the house.

  • He motioned to the others to follow and they all went down the path to the building.

  • Carmen stared at him, trying to follow his runaway thought train.

  • If he wanted to hurt me, he could follow me in my car.

  • The children, feeling sad and despondent, were about to follow him when the Wizard touched Dorothy softly on her shoulder.

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Words that mention follow in the Dictionary

Words near follow in the Thesaurus