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as in to succeed
to come after in time a wrap-up always follows the Super Bowl broadcast

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word follow different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of follow are ensue, succeed, and supervene. While all these words mean "to come after something or someone," follow may apply to a coming after in time, position, or logical sequence.

speeches followed the dinner

When is it sensible to use ensue instead of follow?

While the synonyms ensue and follow are close in meaning, ensue commonly suggests a logical consequence or naturally expected development.

after the talk a general discussion ensued

When is succeed a more appropriate choice than follow?

Although the words succeed and follow have much in common, succeed implies a coming after immediately in a sequence determined by natural order, inheritance, election, or laws of rank.

she succeeded her father as head of the business

When can supervene be used instead of follow?

The words supervene and follow can be used in similar contexts, but supervene suggests the following or beginning of something unforeseen or unpredictable.

unable to continue because of supervening circumstances

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of follow The network saw an audience drop following the 2024 election, but there has been an uptick since Donald Trump’s inauguration, with Rachel Maddow returing to a five-night-a-week format for the first 100 days of the new administration. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2025 During Reconstruction, the era immediately following the Civil War and emancipation, Congress was working to protect the rights of African Americans especially in states that had recently ended slavery. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025 Your body may be trying to tell you something One 2015 study had eight male participants do sets of heavy back squats, followed by either no foam rolling or 20 minutes of foam rolling right after, and then again a day and two days later. Margaret Cirino, NPR, 22 Feb. 2025 Steve Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University, said presidents can appeal adverse rulings rather than imply they shouldn't be followed. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for follow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for follow
Verb
  • In 2020, Just and her daughter Juliette launched the Poker Power platform to teach women and girls how to play the game, and how to use the lessons from poker to succeed professionally.
    Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Maduro succeeded Hugo Chávez, after whom chavismo is named.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 24 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • This discourages creditors from pursuing claims against LPs.
    Andre Pennington, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Reportedly, authorities have no interest in pursuing the incidents.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 21 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • If our nation doled out awards for integrity in politics, two would have gone to Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus, who resigned in 1974 rather than obey a criminal president’s order to fire the Watergate special prosecutor.
    Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2025
  • But given the stunning turnaround Gates has overseen this season, the students could do nothing but obey the coach’s cool request.
    Jim Root, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Their weapon, the Sarmat, is named for centuries-old nomads who traversed the steppe on horse.
    Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025
  • As Atom and Claudine traverse the countryside and meet various other characters (cast mostly from non-professional actors), the frame takes on a spectral presence.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Mulberry noted that China is the source of over 70% of the household and generic non-food products that Great Value sells such as electronics, accessories, plastic food containers and sporting goods.
    Siddharth Cavale, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Richards — who, her children note, has always attempted to to shield them from their dad's headline-making antics — is on good terms with her ex-husband these days.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Indeed, Stephen Seiler, a Norwegian sports scientist, has observed that top athletes across a variety of endurance sports spend about 80 percent of their time doing relatively easy training and 20 percent going hard.
    Alex Hutchinson, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Astronomers are using a multitude of telescopes to observe the space rock to understand its size and orbit, which will likely reveal lower chances of a 2032 collision than what the current data shows.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • While cameras will replace the chain gang in determining whether the first down line-to-gain was reached—a major tech development for the league—live game officials will continue to spot the football between plays.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 26 Feb. 2025
  • That’s basically what the Lightning did in replacing Stamkos, who just turned 35, with Jake Guentzel, who turned 30 in October.
    Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Another incident involved a grizzly sow with two cubs chasing a series of cars on icy roads.
    Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Trail: For Palestine Comedy Club, as Palestinians chase laughter in the face of conflict.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Follow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/follow. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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