Fol"low (?), n. The art or process
of following; specif., in some games, as billiards, a stroke causing a
ball to follow another ball after hitting it. Also used adjectively;
as, follow shot.
Fol"low (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Followed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Following.][OE. foluwen, folwen, folgen,
AS. folgian, fylgean, fylgan; akin to D.
volgen, OHG. folg&?;n, G. folgen, Icel.
fylgja, Sw. följa, Dan. fölge, and
perh. to E. folk.] 1. To go or come
after; to move behind in the same path or direction; hence, to go
with (a leader, guide, etc.); to accompany; to attend.
It waves me forth again; I'll follow
it.
Shak.
2. To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit
of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute.
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they
shall follow them.
Ex. xiv. 17.
3. To accept as authority; to adopt the
opinions of; to obey; to yield to; to take as a rule of action; as,
to follow good advice.
Approve the best, and follow what I
approve
. Milton.
Follow peace with all men.
Heb.
xii. 14.
It is most agreeable to some men to follow
their reason; and to others to follow their
appetites.
J. Edwards.
4. To copy after; to take as an
example.
We had rather follow the perfections of them
whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we
love.
Hooker.
5. To succeed in order of time, rank, or
office.
6. To result from, as an effect from a cause,
or an inference from a premise.
7. To watch, as a receding object; to keep
the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in
progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up
with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a
course of thought or argument.
He followed with his eyes the flitting
shade.
Dryden.
8. To walk in, as a road or course; to attend
upon closely, as a profession or calling.
O, had I but followed the arts!
Shak.
O Antony! I have followed thee to
this.
Shak.
Follow board (Founding), a board on
which the pattern and the flask lie while the sand is rammed into the
flask. Knight. -- To follow the hounds,
to hunt with dogs. -- To follow suit
(Card Playing), to play a card of the same suit as the
leading card; hence, colloquially, to follow an example set. --
To follow up, to pursue indefatigably.
Syn.- To pursue; chase; go after; attend; accompany;
succeed; imitate; copy; embrace; maintain. - To Follow,
Pursue. To follow (v.t.) denotes simply to go after; to
pursue denotes to follow with earnestness, and with a view to
attain some definite object; as, a hound pursues the deer. So
a person follows a companion whom he wishes to overtake on a
journey; the officers of justice pursue a felon who has
escaped from prison.
Fol"low, v. i. To go or come
after; -- used in the various senses of the transitive verb: To
pursue; to attend; to accompany; to be a result; to
imitate.
Syn.- To Follow, Succeed, Ensue. To
follow (v.i.) means simply to come after; as, a crowd
followed. To succeed means to come after in some
regular series or succession; as, day succeeds to day, and
night to night. To ensue means to follow by some established
connection or principle of sequence. As wave follows wave,
revolution succeeds to revolution; and nothing ensues
but accumulated wretchedness.
Fol"low (?), n. The art or process
of following; specif., in some games, as billiards, a stroke causing a
ball to follow another ball after hitting it. Also used adjectively;
as, follow shot.
