Follow
verbTo go or come after a person or thing, or to act in accordance with instructions, a path, or an example.
How to spell follow
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce follow
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does follow mean?
- verbTo go or come after a person or thing, or to act in accordance with instructions, a path, or an example.
Follow in a sentence
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The tour group decided to follow the guide through the old town.
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Please follow the instructions on the label before mixing the paint.
Where does follow come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
Follow comes from the Old English verb folgian, which meant to accompany, to attend on, or to move along behind someone. It belongs to a broad Germanic family, with close relatives in Old Saxon folgon, Dutch volgen, and German folgen, all carrying the same idea of going after or keeping company. The original sense covered both physical pursuit (walking behind a leader) and social loyalty (serving or attending a lord), and over the centuries it expanded to abstract uses such as following an argument, a rule, or a piece of advice. The modern social-media sense of subscribing to someone's posts is simply the newest layer on this very old word. The double 'l' and the silent-feeling '-ow' ending are the only mild traps in an otherwise phonetic spelling, and they trace straight back to that Old English root.
How the word is built
- follow (from Old English folgian: to accompany, attend, pursue)
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