fol·low verb

BrE /ˈfɒləʊ/ ; NAmE /ˈfɑːloʊ/

+ VERB FORMS

go after

1 [transitive, intransitive] follow (somebody/something) to come or go after or behind somebody/something

He followed her into the house.

Follow me please. I'll show you the way.

I think we're being followed.

(figurative) She followed her mother into the medical profession.

Wherever she led, they followed.

Sam walked in, with the rest of the boys following closely behind.

happen/do after

2 [transitive, intransitive] follow (something/somebody) to come after something/somebody else in time or order; to happen as a
result of something else

The first two classes are followed by a break of ten minutes.

I remember little of the days that followed the accident.

A period of unrest followed the president's resignation.

A detailed news report will follow shortly.

There followed a short silence.

The opening hours are as follows…

A new proposal followed on from the discussions.

3 [transitive] to do something after something else

follow something with something Follow your treatment with plenty of rest.

follow something up with something They follow up their March show with four UK dates next month.

be result

4 [intransitive, transitive] (not usually used in the progressive tenses) to be the logical result of something

follow (from something) I don't see how that follows from what you've just said.

it follows that… If a = b and b = c it follows that a = c.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
of part of meal

5 [transitive, intransitive] follow (something) to come or be eaten after another part

The main course was followed by fresh fruit.

This pattern is usually used in the passive.

I'll have soup and fish to follow.

road/path

6 [transitive] follow something to go along a road, path, etc

Follow this road until you get to the school, then turn left.

7 [transitive] follow something (of a road, path, etc.) to go in the same direction as something or parallel to something

The lane follows the edge of a wood for about a mile.

advice/instructions

8 [transitive] follow something to accept advice, instructions, etc. and do what you have been told or shown to do

to follow a diet/recipe

He has trouble following simple instructions.

Why didn't you follow my advice?

accept/copy

9 [transitive] follow something to accept somebody/something as a guide, a leader or an example; to copy somebody/something

They followed the teachings of Buddha.

He always followed the latest fashions (= dressed in fashionable clothes).

I don't want you to follow my example and rush into marriage.

The movie follows the book faithfully.

understand

10 [intransitive, transitive] to understand an explanation or the meaning of something

follow (somebody) Sorry, I don't follow.

Sorry, I don't follow you.

follow something The plot is almost impossible to follow.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
 follow something The plot is almost impossible to follow.
+ SYNONYMS

watch/listen

11 [transitive] follow somebody/something to watch or listen to somebody/something very carefully

The children were following every word of the story intently.

Her eyes followed him everywhere (= she was looking at him all the time).

be interested in

12 [transitive] follow something to take an active interest in something and be aware of what is happening

Have you been following the basketball championships?

Millions of people followed the trial on TV.

13 to choose to regularly receive messages from a person, company, etc. using a microblogging service

I don’t follow many celebrities on Twitter any more.

of book/movie

14 [transitive] follow something to be concerned with the life or development of somebody/something

The novel follows the fortunes of a village community in Scotland.

pattern/course

15 [transitive] follow something to develop or happen in a particular way

The day followed the usual pattern.

+ WORD ORIGIN
+ EXTRA EXAMPLES

Idioms

follow in somebody’s ˈfootsteps

to do the same job, have the same style of life, etc. as somebody else, especially somebody in your family

She works in television, following in her father's footsteps.

follow your ˈnose

1 to be guided by your sense of smell

2 to go straight forward

The garage is a mile ahead up the hill—just follow your nose.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
3 to act according to what seems right or reasonable, rather than following any particular rules

follow ˈsuit

1 (in card games) to play a card of the same suit that has just been played

2 to act or behave in the way that somebody else has just done

a ˌhard/ˌtough act to ˈfollow

a person who is so good or successful at something that it will be difficult for anyone else coming after them to be as good or
successful

She has been an excellent principal and will be a hard act to follow.

Phrasal Verbs

ˌfollow somebody aˈround/aˈbout

to keep going with somebody wherever they go

Will you stop following me around!

ˌfollow ˈon

1 to go somewhere after somebody else has gone there

You go to the beach with the kids and I'll follow on when I've finished work.

2 (of a cricket (1) team) to play a second innings (= a period during which a team is batting) immediately after its first, because it
has failed to reach a particular score

ˌfollow ˈthrough

(in tennis, golf, etc.) to complete a stroke by continuing to move the club, racket, etc. after hitting the ball

RELATED NOUN follow-through (1)

ˌfollow ˈthrough (with something) | ˌfollow something ˈthrough

to finish something that you have started

RELATED NOUN follow-through (2)

ˌfollow something ˈup

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015
1 to add to something that you have just done by doing something else

You should follow up your phone call with an email or a letter.

2 to find out more about something that somebody has told you or suggested to you

SYNONYM investigate

The police are following up several leads after their TV appeal for information.

RELATED NOUN follow-up

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition © Oxford University Press, 2015