FOLLOW

FOLLOW

v. fol·lowed, fol·low·ing, fol·lows v.tr. 1. To come or go after; proceed behind: Follow the usher to your seat. 2. a. To go after in or as if in pursuit: "The wrong she had done followed her and haunted her dream" (Katherine Anne Porter). b. To keep under surveillance: followed the suspect around town. 3. a. To move along the course of; take: We followed a path to the shore. b. To go in the direction of; be guided by: followed the sun westward across the plains; followed the signs to the zoo. 4. To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of: follow a spiritual master; rebels who refused to follow their commander. 5. To adhere to; practice: followed family traditions. 6. To take as a model or precedent; imitate: followed my example and resigned. 7. a. To act in agreement or compliance with; obey: follow the rules; follow one's instincts. b. To keep to or stick to: followed the recipe; follow a diet. 8. To engage in (a trade or occupation); work at. 9. To come after in order, time, or position: Night follows day. 10. To bring something about at a later time than or as a consequence of: She followed her lecture with a question-and-answer period. The band followed its hit record with a tour. 11. To occur or be evident as a consequence of: Your conclusion does not follow your premise. 12. a. To watch or observe closely: followed the bird through binoculars. b. To be attentive to; pay close heed to: too sleepy to follow the sermon. c. To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of: follow the stock market; followed the local teams. 13. To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand: Do you follow my argument? v.intr. 1. To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time. 2. To occur or be evident as a consequence; result: If you ignore your diet, trouble will follow. 3. To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand. n. 1. The act or an instance of following. 2. Games A billiards shot in which the cue ball is struck above center so that it follows the path of the object ball after impact.