follow

(fŏlˈō)

verb fol·lowed, fol·low·ing, fol·lows verb, transitive

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?

verb, intransitive

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.

noun

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.

Phrasal Verbs: follow along To move or proceed in unison or in accord with an example: followed along with the song. follow through Sports To carry a stroke to natural completion after hitting or releasing a ball or other object. To carry an act, project, or intention to completion; pursue fully: followed through on her promise to reorganize the department. follow up To carry to completion; follow through on: followed up their recommendations with concrete proposals. To increase the effectiveness or enhance the success of by further action: followed up her interview with an e-mail. Usage Note: As follows (not as follow) is the established form of the idiom regardless of whether the noun that precedes it is singular or plural: The regulations are as follows.