English verb: follow | |||
1. | follow (motion) to travel behind, go after, come after | ||
Samples | The ducklings followed their mother around the pond. Please follow the guide through the museum. | ||
Examples | They follow the car down the avenue, Sam cannot follow Sue | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s. Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | go, locomote, move, travel | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | carry, dawdle, fall back, fall behind, lag, shadow, tailgate | ||
Antonyms | precede, lead | ||
2. | follow (stative) be later in time | ||
Samples | Tuesday always follows Monday. | ||
Synonyms | postdate | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s something | ||
Verb group | come after, follow | ||
Antonyms | antecede, antedate, forego, precede, predate, forgo | ||
3. | follow (stative) come as a logical consequence; follow logically | ||
Samples | It follows that your assertion is false. The theorem falls out nicely. | ||
Synonyms | fall out | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s. It ----s that CLAUSE | ||
Broader (hypernym) | ensue, result | ||
4. | follow (motion) travel along a certain course | ||
Samples | Follow the road. Follow the trail. | ||
Synonyms | travel along | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | go, locomote, move, travel | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | ascend, heel | ||
5. | follow (social) act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes | ||
Samples | He complied with my instructions. You must comply or else!. Follow these simple rules. Abide by the rules. | ||
Synonyms | abide by, comply | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s PP | ||
Broader (hypernym) | obey | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | accommodate, conform to, oblige, toe the line | ||
Verb group | adopt, espouse, follow, follow, stick to, stick with | ||
6. | follow (stative) come after in time, as a result | ||
Samples | A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake. | ||
Synonyms | come after | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | ensue, result | ||
Verb group | follow, follow, postdate | ||
7. | follow (change) behave in accordance or in agreement with | ||
Samples | Follow a pattern. Follow my example. | ||
Synonyms | conform to | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | copy, imitate, simulate | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | go by | ||
8. | follow (stative) be next | ||
Samples | Mary plays best, with John and Sue following. | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s. Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s PP | ||
Broader (hypernym) | be | ||
Verb group | come after, follow | ||
9. | follow (possession) choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans | ||
Samples | She followed the feminist movement. The candidate espouses Republican ideals. | ||
Synonyms | adopt, espouse | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | choose, pick out, select, take | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | adhere, stick | ||
Verb group | abide by, comply, follow | ||
10. | follow (stative) to bring something about at a later time than | ||
Samples | She followed dinner with a brandy. He followed his lecture with a question and answer period. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something | ||
Cause | follow | ||
11. | follow (creation) imitate in behavior; take as a model | ||
Samples | Teenagers follow their friends in everything. | ||
Examples | Sam cannot follow Sue | ||
Synonyms | take after | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | copy, imitate, simulate | ||
12. | follow (cognition) follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something | ||
Samples | We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba. Trace the student's progress. | ||
Synonyms | trace | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | analyse, analyze, canvas, canvass, examine, study | ||
Verb group | follow, follow, keep abreast, keep an eye on, keep up, observe, watch, watch over | ||
13. | follow (social) follow with the eyes or the mind | ||
Samples | Keep an eye on the baby, please!. The world is watching Sarajevo. She followed the men with the binoculars. | ||
Examples | The children follow the ball | ||
Synonyms | keep an eye on, observe, watch, watch over | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | check, check into, check out, check over, check up on, go over, look into, suss out | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | guard, invigilate, keep tabs on, proctor | ||
Verb group | follow, trace | ||
14. | follow (social) be the successor (of) | ||
Samples | Carter followed Ford. Will Charles succeed to the throne?. | ||
Synonyms | come after, succeed | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s somebody. Somebody ----s PP | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | accede, enter, replace, supercede, supersede, supervene upon, supplant | ||
Antonyms | come before, precede | ||
15. | follow (creation) perform an accompaniment to | ||
Samples | The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano. | ||
Synonyms | accompany, play along | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | play | ||
Domain category | music | ||
16. | follow (change) keep informed | ||
Samples | He kept up on his country's foreign policies. | ||
Synonyms | keep abreast, keep up | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s PP | ||
Verb group | follow, trace | ||
17. | follow (stative) to be the product or result | ||
Samples | Melons come from a vine. Understanding comes from experience. | ||
Synonyms | come | ||
Pattern of use | Something is ----ing PP | ||
Broader (hypernym) | arise, develop, grow, originate, rise, spring up, uprise | ||
Verb group | come | ||
18. | follow (social) accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of | ||
Samples | Let's follow our great helmsman!. She followed a guru for years. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | act, behave, do | ||
19. | follow (social) adhere to or practice | ||
Samples | These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion. | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | apply, practice, use | ||
20. | follow (social) work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function | ||
Samples | He is a herpetologist. She is our resident philosopher. | ||
Synonyms | be | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s PP | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | cox, vet | ||
21. | follow (perception) keep under surveillance | ||
Samples | The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing. | ||
Examples | They want to follow the prisoners | ||
Synonyms | surveil, survey | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody | ||
Verb group | follow, pursue | ||
22. | follow (motion) follow in or as if in pursuit | ||
Samples | The police car pursued the suspected attacker. Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life. | ||
Examples | They follow the car down the avenue | ||
Synonyms | pursue | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | go, locomote, move, travel | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | chase, chase after, dog, give chase, go after, haunt, stalk, stalk, tag, tail, track, trail | ||
Verb group | follow, surveil, survey | ||
23. | follow (cognition) grasp the meaning | ||
Samples | Can you follow her argument?. When he lectures, I cannot follow. | ||
Examples | Sam and Sue follow the movie | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | understand | ||
24. | follow (change) keep to | ||
Samples | Stick to your principles. Stick to the diet. | ||
Synonyms | stick to, stick with | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Somebody ----s VERB-ing | ||
Broader (hypernym) | hang in, hang on, hold on, persevere, persist | ||
Verb group | abide by, comply, follow | ||