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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FOL'LOW, v.t.
1. To go after or behind; to walk, ride or move behind, but in the same direction. Soldiers will usually follow a brave officer.
2. To pursue; to chase; as an enemy, or as game.
3. To accompany; to attend in a journey.
And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode on the camels, and followed the man. Genesis 24.
4. To accompany; to be of the same company; to attend, for any purpose. Luke 5.
5. To succeed in order of time; to come after; as a storm is followed by a calm.
Signs following signs lead on the mighty year.
6. To be consequential; to result from, as effect from a cause. Intemperance is often followed by disease or poverty, or by both.
7. To result from, as an inference or deduction. It follows from these facts that the accused is guilty.
8. To pursue with the eye; to keep the eyes fixed on a moving body. He followed or his eyes followed the ship, till it was beyond sight.
He followed with his eyes the fleeting shade.
9. To imitate; to copy; as, to follow a pattern or model; to follow fashion.
10. To embrace; to adopt and maintain; to have or entertain like opinions; to think or believe like another; as, to follow the opinions and tenets of a philsophic sect; to follow Plato.
11. To obey; to observe; to practice; to act in conformity to. It is our duty to follow the commands of Christ. Good soldiers follow the orders of their general; good servants follow the directions of their master.
12. To pursue as an object of desire; to endeavor to obtain.
Follow peace with all men. Hebrews 12.
13. To use; to practice; to make the chief business; as, to follow the trade of a carpenter; to follow the profession of law.
14. To adhere to; to side with.
The house of Judah followed David. 1 Samuel 2.
15. To adhere to; to honor; to worship; to serve.
If the Lord be God, follow him. 1 Kings 18.
16. To be led or guided by.
Wo to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing. Ezek 13.
17. To move on in the same course or direction; to be guided by; as, to follow a track or course.
FOL'LOW, v.i.
1. To come after another.
The famine - shall follow close after you. Jeremiah 42.
2. To attend; to accompany.
3. To be posterior in time; as following ages.
4. To be consequential, as effect to cause. From such measures, great mischiefs must follow.
5. To result, as an inference. The facts may be admitted, but the inference drawn from them does not follow.
To follow on, to continue pursuit or endeavor; to persevere.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord.
Hosea 6.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: to travel behind, go after, come after; "The ducklings followed their mother around the pond"; "Please follow the guide through the museum" [ant: lead, precede]
2: be later in time; "Tuesday always follows Monday" [syn: postdate, follow] [ant: antecede, antedate, forego, forgo, precede, predate]
3: come as a logical consequence; follow logically; "It follows that your assertion is false"; "the theorem falls out nicely" [syn: follow, fall out]
4: travel along a certain course; "follow the road"; "follow the trail" [syn: follow, travel along]
5: act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes; "He complied with my instructions"; "You must comply or else!"; "Follow these simple rules"; "abide by the rules" [syn: comply, follow, abide by]
6: come after in time, as a result; "A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake" [syn: follow, come after]
7: behave in accordance or in agreement with; "Follow a pattern"; "Follow my example" [syn: follow, conform to]
8: be next; "Mary plays best, with John and Sue following"
9: choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; "She followed the feminist movement"; "The candidate espouses Republican ideals" [syn: adopt, follow, espouse]
10: to bring something about at a later time than; "She followed dinner with a brandy"; "He followed his lecture with a question and answer period"
11: imitate in behavior; take as a model; "Teenagers follow their friends in everything" [syn: take after, follow]
12: follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress" [syn: trace, follow]
13: follow with the eyes or the mind; "Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the binoculars" [syn: watch, observe, follow, watch over, keep an eye on]
14: be the successor (of); "Carter followed Ford"; "Will Charles succeed to the throne?" [syn: succeed, come after, follow] [ant: come before, precede]
15: perform an accompaniment to; "The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano" [syn: play along, accompany, follow]
16: keep informed; "He kept up on his country's foreign policies" [syn: keep up, keep abreast, follow]
17: to be the product or result; "Melons come from a vine"; "Understanding comes from experience" [syn: come, follow]
18: accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of; "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for years"
19: adhere to or practice; "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion"
20: work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher" [syn: be, follow]
21: keep under surveillance; "The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing" [syn: surveil, follow, survey]
22: follow in or as if in pursuit; "The police car pursued the suspected attacker"; "Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life" [syn: pursue, follow]
23: grasp the meaning; "Can you follow her argument?"; "When he lectures, I cannot follow"
24: keep to; "Stick to your principles"; "stick to the diet" [syn: stick to, stick with, follow]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English folwen, from Old English folgian; akin to Old High German folg?n to follow Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to go, proceed, or come after <followed the guide> 2. a. to engage in as a calling or way of life ; pursue <wheat-growing is generally followed here> b. to walk or proceed along <follow a path> 3. a. to be or act in accordance with <follow directions> b. to accept as authority ; obey <followed his conscience> 4. a. to pursue in an effort to overtake b. to seek to attain <follow knowledge> 5. to come into existence or take place as a result or consequence of <disaster followed the blunder> 6. a. to come or take place after in time, sequence, or order b. to cause to be followed <followed dinner with a liqueur> 7. to copy after ; imitate 8. a. to watch steadily <followed the flight of the ball> b. to keep the mind on <follow a speech> c. to attend closely to ; keep abreast of <followed his career with interest> d. to understand the sense or logic of (as a line of thought) intransitive verb 1. to go or come after a person or thing in place, time, or sequence 2. to result or occur as a consequence, effect, or inference Synonyms: follow, succeed, ensue, supervene mean to come after something or someone. follow may apply to a coming after in time, position, or logical sequence <speeches followed the dinner>. succeed implies a coming after immediately in a sequence determined by natural order, inheritance, election, or laws of rank <she succeeded her father as head of the business>. ensue commonly suggests a logical consequence or naturally expected development <after the talk a general discussion ensued>. supervene suggests the following or beginning of something unforeseen or unpredictable <unable to continue because of supervening circumstances>. Synonym: see in addition chase. II. noun Date: 1661 1. the act or process of following 2. forward spin given to a ball by striking it above center — compare draw, English

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. or (foll. by after) intr. go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead). 2 tr. go along (a route, path, etc.). 3 tr. & intr. come after in order or time (Nero followed Claudius; dessert followed; my reasons are as follows). 4 tr. take as a guide or leader. 5 tr. conform to (follow your example). 6 tr. practise (a trade or profession). 7 tr. undertake (a course of study etc.). 8 tr. understand the meaning or tendency of (a speaker or argument). 9 tr. maintain awareness of the current state or progress of (events etc. in a particular sphere). 10 tr. (foll. by with) provide with a sequel or successor. 11 intr. happen after something else; ensue. 12 intr. a be necessarily true as a result of something else. b (foll. by from) be a result of. 13 tr. strive after; aim at; pursue (followed fame and fortune). Phrases and idioms: follow-my-leader a game in which players must do as the leader does. follow one's nose trust to instinct. follow on 1 continue. 2 (of a cricket team) have to bat again immediately after the first innings. follow-on n. an instance of this. follow out carry out; adhere precisely to (instructions etc.). follow suit 1 Cards play a card of the suit led. 2 conform to another person's actions. follow through 1 continue (an action etc.) to its conclusion. 2 Sport continue the movement of a stroke after the ball has been struck. follow-through n. the action of following through. follow up (foll. by with) 1 pursue, develop, supplement. 2 make further investigation of. follow-up n. a subsequent or continued action, measure, experience, etc. Etymology: OE folgian f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Follow 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Follow 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Follow 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(follows, following, followed) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you follow someone who is going somewhere, you move along behind them because you want to go to the same place. We followed him up the steps into a large hall... Please follow me, madam... They took him into a small room and I followed. VERB: V n prep/adv, V n, V, also V after n 2. If you follow someone who is going somewhere, you move along behind them without their knowledge, in order to catch them or find out where they are going. She realized that the Mercedes was following her... I think we're being followed. = trail VERB: V n, V n 3. If you follow someone to a place where they have recently gone and where they are now, you go to join them there. He followed Janice to New York, where she was preparing an exhibition. VERB: V n to n 4. An event, activity, or period of time that follows a particular thing happens or comes after that thing, at a later time. ...the rioting and looting that followed the verdict... Other problems may follow... Eyewitnesses spoke of a noise followed by a huge red light. VERB: V n, V, V-ed 5. If you follow one thing with another, you do or say the second thing after you have done or said the first thing. Her first major role was in Martin Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' and she followed this with a part in Spike Lee's 'Jungle Fever'. VERB: V n with n • Follow up means the same as follow. The book proved such a success that the authors followed it up with 'The Messianic Legacy'. PHRASAL VERB: V n P with n, also V P n (not pron) with n 6. If it follows that a particular thing is the case, that thing is a logical result of something else being true or being the case. Just because a bird does not breed one year, it does not follow that it will fail the next... If the explanation is right, two things follow... It is easy to see the conclusions described in the text follow from this equation. VERB: it V that, V, V from n 7. If you refer to the words that follow or followed, you are referring to the words that come next or came next in a piece of writing or speech. What follows is an eye-witness account... There followed a list of places where Hans intended to visit... General analysis is followed by five case studies. VERB: V, there V n, be V-ed by n 8. If you follow a path, route, or set of signs, you go somewhere using the path, route, or signs to direct you. If they followed the road, they would be certain to reach a village... I followed the signs to Metrocity. VERB: V n, V n prep/adv 9. If something such as a path or river follows a particular route or line, it goes along that route or line. Our route follows the Pacific coast through densely populated neighbourhoods... VERB: V n 10. If you follow something with your eyes, or if your eyes follow it, you watch it as it moves or you look along its route or course. Ann's eyes followed a police car as it drove slowly past. VERB: V n 11. Something that follows a particular course of development happens or develops in that way. His release turned out to follow the pattern set by that of the other six hostages. VERB: V n 12. If you follow advice, an instruction, or a recipe, you act or do something in the way that it indicates. Take care to follow the instructions carefully... VERB: V n 13. If you follow what someone else has done, you do it too because you think it is a good thing or because you want to copy them. His admiration for the athlete did not extend to the point where he would follow his example in taking drugs... Where eastern Germany goes the rest will surely follow. VERB: V n, V 14. If you follow someone in what you do, you do the same thing or job as they did previously. He followed his father and became a surgeon... Anni-Frid's son has followed her into the music business. VERB: V n, V n into n 15. If you are able to follow something such as an explanation or the story of a film, you understand it as it continues and develops. Can you follow the plot so far?... I'm afraid I don't follow. = understand VERB: V n, V 16. If you follow something, you take an interest in it and keep informed about what happens. ...the millions of people who follow football because they genuinely love it... She was following Laura's progress closely. VERB: V n, V n 17. If you follow a particular religion or political belief, you have that religion or belief. 'Do you follow any particular religion?'—'Yes, we're all Hindus.' VERB: V n 18. see also following 19. You use as follows in writing or speech to introduce something such as a list, description, or explanation. The winners are as follows: E. Walker; R. Foster; R. Gates; A. Mackintosh... This can be done if you proceed as follows. PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v 20. You use followed by to say what comes after something else in a list or ordered set of things. Potatoes are still the most popular food, followed by white bread. PHRASE: PHR n 21. After mentioning one course of a meal, you can mention the next course by saying what you will have to follow or what there will be to follow. He decided on roast chicken and vegetables, with apple pie to follow. PHRASE: n PHR 22. to follow in someone's footsteps: see footstep to follow your nose: see nose to follow suit: see suit

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fol'-o ('achar, radhaph; akoloutheo, dioko) :

Frequently the translation of 'achar, "after," e.g. Nu 14:24, "hath followed me fully," literally, "fulfilled after me" (Nu 32:11,12; De 1:36; Am 7:15); radhaph is "to pursue," and is often so translated; it is translated "follow" (Ps 23:6; Isa 5:11, etc.); "follow after" (Ge 44:4; Ex 14:4); reghel, "foot," is several times translated "follow" (literally, "at the foot of"; Ex 11:8; Jud 8:5, etc.); halakh 'achar, "to go after" (De 4:3; 1Ki 14:8, etc.); yalakh 'achar, "to go on after" (Ge 24:5; Jud 2:19, etc.); dabheq, "to cause to cleave to" is "follow hard after" (1Sa 14:22; Ps 63:8, etc.).

In the New Testament, in addition to akoloutheo (Mt 4:20,22,25, etc.) various words and phrases are rendered "follow," e.g. Deute opiso mou, "Come after me" (Mt 4:19, "Follow me," the Revised Version (British and American) "Come ye after me"); dioko, "to pursue" (Lu 17:23; 1Th 5:15, the Revised Version (British and American) "follow after," etc.); mimeomai, "to imitate" (Heb 13:7, "whose faith follow," the Revised Version (British and American) "imitate their faith; 2Thes 3:7,9; 3Joh 1:11); compounds of akoloutheo with ex, para sun, etc. (2Pe 1:16; Mr 16:20; Ac 16:17; Mr 5:37, etc.).

English Revised Version, "Follow after faithfulness" makes an important change in Ps 37:3, where the King James Version has "and verily thou shalt be fed"; but the American Standard Revised Version has "feed on his faithfulness," margin "feed securely or verily thou shalt be fed." For "attained" (1Ti 4:6) the Revised Version (British and American) gives "followed until now."

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Come or go after or behind, go in the rear or in the wake of, tread in the steps of, tread on the heels of. 2. Succeed, come next, tread close upon. 3. Pursue, chase, run after, go after. 4. Attend, accompany, go along with, keep company with. 5. Obey, heed, observe, be guided by, conform to, yield to. 6. seek, cherish, cultivate, strive for. 7. Practise, pursue, attend to, make the object of pursuit. 8. Imitate, copy, pattern after, copy after, take as an example. II. v. n. 1. Come or go after. 2. Succeed, come next. 3. Ensue, result, arise, proceed, flow, come, spring, issue, be inferred or inferrible, be deduced or deducible.

Moby Thesaurus

abide by, absorb, accept, accept advice, accommodate, accommodate with, accompany, accord, act up to, adapt, adapt to, address, adhere to, adjust, adjust to, admire, adopt, afford proof of, agree with, align, angle for, ape, appear like, appreciate, apprehend, approach, approximate, arise, around, ascertain, ask for, assimilate, assimilate to, attend, attend to, augment, back, back up, be advised by, be consistent, be faithful to, be found wanting, be guided by, be inferior, be into, be like, be redolent of, be strong in, be vigilant, be watchful, be with one, bear resemblance, beat about for, beau, become of, bedog, believe in, bend, bolster, bring home to, bring to mind, buttress, c, call to mind, call up, carry on, carry out, catch, catch on, chase, check out, check up on, chime in with, chivy, cinch, cleave to, clinch, collimate, collineate, come about, come after, come behind, come close, come last, come near, come of, come on, come out, come short, compare with, comply, comply with, compose, comprehend, conceive, conclude, conduct, confine, conform, conform to, connect, connect with, consolidate, consummate, continue, convoy, copy, copy after, correct, correspond, counterfeit, court, cultivate, dangle, delve for, demonstrate, desire guidance, determine, develop, dig, dig for, digest, discharge, discipline, displace, do, do justice to, dog, echo, employ, emulate, end, engage in, ensue, ensure, equate, equidistance, escort, esquire, establish, eventuate, evoke, exercise, eye, eyeball, fail, fall astern, fall back, fall behind, fall in with, fall out, fall short, fare, fathom, favor, feature, fill, fish for, fit, fix, flow, follow a clue, follow advice, follow at heel, follow from, follow implicitly, follow like sheep, follow suit, follow the crowd, follow up, fulfill, gaze at, gear to, get, get hold of, get the drift, get the idea, get the picture, give chase, go after, go along with, go back, go backwards, go behind, go by, go gunning for, go in for, grasp, gun for, hang about, harmonize, have, have a case, have a looksee, have it taped, have nothing on, heed, heel, hold by, hold good, hold in view, hold water, hollo after, hound, hunt, hunt down, hunt for, hunt up, imitate, implore counsel, inherit, inquire, investigate, issue, join, keep, keep faith with, keep in sight, keep in view, keep under observation, keep up with, ken, know, lag behind, lay siege to, learn, limit, line up, link up, live up to, look, look after, look at, look for, look into, look like, look on, look up, look upon, major in, make after, make conform, make good, make out, make suit to, master, match, meet, mimic, mind, minor in, mirror, model after, mold, move behind, nail down, narrow, near, nearly reproduce, nose, nose out, not approach, not come near, not compare, not hack it, not make it, not measure up, not tell apart, obey, observe, pan out, parallel, parallelize, partake of, pattern after, pay attention to, pay court to, perform, persevere, persist, place parallel to, play second fiddle, postdate, practice, prosecute, prove, prove to be, prove true, prowl after, pursue, quest, quest after, raise the hunt, rank under, read, realign, realize, reconcile, reconnoiter, rectify, reflect, regard, regress, reinforce, remind one of, remove all doubt, replace, resemble, respect, restrict, result, retrogress, revert, root for, rub off corners, run after, run down, run to earth, satisfy, savor of, savvy, scout, search, search for, see, see through, see to, seek, seek for, seek out, seem like, seize, seize the meaning, sense, serenade, serve, set at rest, settle, settle the matter, shadow, shape, show, simulate, smack of, smell out, sniff out, solicit advice, sound like, spark, specialize, specialize in, spy upon, squire, stack up with, stalk, still-hunt, straighten, string along, subserve, succeed, sue, suggest, suit, supersede, supervene, supplant, support, swain, sweetheart, tackle, tag, tag after, tag along, tail, tailgate, take, take advice, take after, take in, take on, take out after, take to, take up, tall, tally with, terminate, trace, trace down, track, track down, trail, trail after, trail behind, try to find, turn out, understand, undertake, unfold, use, view, wage, want, watch, woo, work at, work out, yield