follow
verbVerb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they follow | |
| he / she / it follows | |
| past simple followed | |
| past participle followed | |
| -ing form following |
- [transitive, intransitive]
to come or go after or behind somebody/something 跟随；跟着 - follow somebody/something
Follow me please. 请跟我来。 - follow somebody + adv./prep.
He followed her into the house. 他跟随她走进房屋。 They were followed down the street by a bunch of photographers. 一群摄影师跟着他们沿街走去。 Wherever she led, they followed. 她引向哪里，他们就跟到哪里。 Sam walked in, with the rest of the boys following closely behind. 萨姆走了进来，其他男孩紧跟其后。
Extra ExamplesThe dog followed obediently at her heels. 那只狗听话地跟在她身后。 Follow me please. I'll show you the way. 请跟我走。我来给你指路。 She followed blindly, stumbling over stones in her path. 她目不视物地跟着，被路上的石头绊得跌跌撞撞。 She beckoned him to follow her. 她示意让他跟着。 Johnson finished first, closely followed by Stevens and Higgins. 约翰逊第一个冲过终点，史蒂文斯和希金斯紧随其后。 As Jackie walked up the aisle, her mother followed close behind. 杰基走上过道时，她妈妈紧跟在后面。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- closely
- reluctantly
- dutifully
- …
- beckon somebody to
- beckon to somebody to
- being followed
- follow close behind (somebody)
- follow right behind (somebody)
- …
- follow somebody/something
- [transitive] follow somebody/something
to come or go after or behind somebody in order to watch where they go and what they do 跟随某人/某事： 跟在某人身后或跟在某人后面，以观察他们的去向和行为。I think we're being followed. 我认为有人跟踪我们。 Police followed the car along Station Road where it mounted the kerb again. 警察沿着车站路跟踪这辆车，在那里它又一次登上了路边石。 As she walked home, she had the feeling she was being followed. 走回家的路上，她总觉得有人在跟踪她。
- [transitive, intransitive]
to come after something/somebody else in time or order; to happen as a result of something else （时间或顺序上）在…后发生；因…而发生 - follow (something/somebody)
I remember little of the days that followed the accident. 那次事故以后的日子我记不大清楚了。 A period of unrest followed the president's resignation. 总统辞职之后有一段时期的动荡。 The first two classes are followed by a break of ten minutes. 上完头两节课，有十分钟的课间休息。 The main course was followed by fresh fruit. 主菜以后是新鲜水果。 - to follow
I'll have soup and fish to follow. 我要汤，然后要鱼。 A detailed news report will follow shortly. 下面紧接着是详细的新闻报道。 - There follows…
There followed a short silence. 接着沉默了一会儿。 - as follows…
The opening hours are as follows… 营业时间如下… - follow on from something
A new proposal followed on from the discussions. 讨论之后，出了一个新提案。 the workers' revolts that followed in the wake of the student uprising 发生在学生动乱之后的工人暴动
Extra ExamplesTopics Change, cause and effecta2The first mailing was followed by a postcard reminder to all who received the survey. 第一封邮件之后是一张明信片，提醒所有收到调查的人。 Periods of great creativity were followed by years in which he composed nothing. 在伟大的创造性时期之后的几年里，他什么也没写。 Edward was followed in 1553 by Elizabeth's Catholic half-sister Mary. 1553年，爱德华之后是伊丽莎白的天主教同父异母妹妹玛丽。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- closely
- quickly
- shortly
- …
- (be) followed by something
- follow in the wake of something
- follow (something/somebody)
- [transitive]
to do something after something else 在…后做 - follow something with something
Give your contact details and follow this with a brief profile of yourself. 请给出您的联系方式，并在此基础上简要介绍您自己。 - follow something up with something
They follow up their March show with four UK dates next month. 他们在三月演出以后，就是下个月在英国的四场演出。
Extra ExamplesOxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- closely
- quickly
- shortly
- …
- (be) followed by something
- follow in the wake of something
- follow something with something
- [transitive] follow something
to accept advice, instructions, etc. and do what you have been told or shown to do 接受，遵循，听从（忠告、指示等） to follow rules/procedures/guidelines 遵循规则/程序/指南 They said they were just following orders. 他们说他们只是服从命令。 He has trouble following simple instructions. 简单的指示他都难以照办。 Why didn't you follow my advice? 你为什么不听我的劝告？ Turn right and follow signs to Dundee. 右转，沿着路标到达邓迪。 I never follow a recipe completely. 我从来没有完全按照食谱做。 He followed a strict diet. 他严格控制饮食。
Extra ExamplesTopics Suggestions and advicea2Follow the instructions very carefully. 请非常仔细地遵循说明。 I didn't really follow the recipe. 我其实不太按食谱的规定去做。 Read the label and follow the directions for use. 阅读标签并遵循使用说明。 Leave the M4 at junction 11, then follow the signs. 在11号交叉口离开M4，然后沿着路标行驶。 When we tried to follow a sign directing us right into Greater Bridgewater Street, we found the road was closed. 当我们试图沿着一个标志进入大布里奇沃特街时，我们发现道路已经关闭。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- to the letter
- dutifully
- …
- [transitive, intransitive]
to accept somebody/something as a guide, a leader or an example; to copy somebody/something 接受…为指导（或领导、榜样）；追随；拥护；仿效 - follow (somebody/something)
I encourage others to follow our example. 我鼓励其他人以我们为榜样。 The Senate is expected to follow the lead of the House. 参议院有望效仿众议院的做法。 We believe it is in our best interests to follow the path of economic openness and growth. 我们相信走经济开放和增长的道路符合我们的最大利益。 The movie follows the book faithfully. 这部电影忠于原著。 They followed the teachings of Buddha. 他们信佛教。 He always followed the latest fashions (= dressed in fashionable clothes). 他总是紧跟着服装潮流。 Where one airline leads, others follow. 一家航空公司领先，其他航空公司紧随其后。 - follow somebody into something
Laura followed her mother into the medical profession (= became a doctor like her mother). 劳拉跟随母亲进入医学界。
Extra ExamplesBanks are expected to follow the building societies in raising mortgage rates. 预计银行将仿效房屋互助协会的做法提高按揭贷款利率。 It wasn't in his nature to follow blindly. 他天性并不盲从。 How do your feel your writing follows in the tradition of the South? 你觉得你的写作遵循了南方的传统吗？ slavishly following the views of his teachers 盲目照搬他老师的观点 I don't want you to follow my example and rush into marriage. 我不希望你走我的老路，匆忙结婚。 Following the example of Barcelona, greater emphasis is now given to public spaces. 以巴塞罗那为例，现在更加强调公共空间。 He ordered a glass of champagne, and we followed his lead. 他点了一杯香槟，我们跟着他。 He leads by example and the others follow. 他以身作则，其他人紧随其后。 Marc is following a path laid down by his father. 马克正沿着他父亲开辟的道路前进。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- faithfully
- blindly
- slavishly
- …
- be expected to
- be likely to
- follow in somebody’s footsteps
- follow in the tradition of somebody/something
- follow suit
- …
- follow (somebody/something)
- follow something
to click on a link in a website 点击网站中的链接 Follow the links to sign up for the webinar. 点击链接报名参加网上研讨会。
- [transitive] follow something
to go along a road, path, etc. 沿着（道路、小径等） - [transitive] follow something
(of a road, path, etc. 道路、小径等 to go in the same direction as something or parallel to something 沿着…伸延；与…平行 - [intransitive, transitive]
(not usually used in the progressive tenses 通常不用于进行时 to be the logical result of something 是…的必然结果 - follow from something
I don't see how that follows from what you've just said. 根据你刚才所说的，我不明白怎么会产生那样的结果。 - follow on from something
Several conclusions follow on from his statement. 从他的叙述中可以得出一些结论。 - it follows that…
If a = b and b = c it follows that a = c. 设 a = b，b = c，则 a = c。 It does not necessarily follow that sleep loss would cause these symptoms. 由此不一定得出失眠会引起这些症状的结论。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- not necessarily
- logically
- naturally
- …
- (on) from
- follow from something
- [intransitive, transitive]
to understand an explanation or the meaning of something 理解，明白（说明或意思） Sorry, I don't follow. 对不起，我不明白。 - follow somebody
Do you follow me? 你听懂我说的话了吗？ - follow something
I couldn't really follow his argument. 我真的不明白他的论点。 The plot is almost impossible to follow. 故事情节几乎叫人看不懂。 to be easy/difficult/hard to follow 容易/困难/难以理解
Extra ExamplesSynonyms understandunderstand- see
- get
- follow
- grasp
- comprehend
- understand to know or realize the meaning of words, a language, what somebody says, etc; to know or realize how or why something happens, how it works or why it is important:
I don’t understand the instructions. 我不懂这些指令的意思。 Doctors still don’t understand much about the disease. 医生对这种疾病还了解不多。
- see to understand what is happening, what somebody is saying, how something works or how important something is:
‘It opens like this.’ ‘Oh, I see.’ “这样就打开了。”“哦，我明白了。” Oh yes, I see what you mean. 噢，我明白你的意思了。
- get (informal
) to understand a joke, what somebody is trying to tell you, or a situation that they are trying to describe: 指理解、明白（笑话、某人试图告知的事或描述的情况）： She didn’t get the joke. 她听不懂那个笑话。 I don’t get you. 我搞不懂你的意思。
- follow to understand an explanation, a story or the meaning of something:
Sorry—I don’t quite follow. 抱歉，我没太听懂（你的话）。 The plot is almost impossible to follow. 故事情节几乎叫人不明所以。
- grasp to come to understand a fact, an idea or how to do something:
They failed to grasp the importance of his words. 他们没有理解他的话的重要性。
understand or grasp? 用 understand 还是 grasp？ - comprehend (often used in negative statements) (formal
) to understand a fact, idea or reason: （常用于否定句中）指理解、领悟、明白（事实、想法或原因）： The concept of infinity is almost impossible for the human mind to comprehend. 无穷的概念几乎是人类的大脑无法理解的。
- to understand/see/get/follow/grasp/comprehend what/why/how…
- to understand/see/grasp/comprehend that…
- to understand/see/get/grasp the point/idea (of something)
- to be easy/difficult/hard to understand/see/follow/grasp/comprehend
- to fully understand/see/grasp/comprehend something
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- not quite
- be easy to
- be difficult to
- be hard to
- …
- [transitive] follow somebody/something
to watch or listen to somebody/something very carefully 密切注视；倾听 The children were following every word of the story intently. 孩子们一字不漏地专心听故事。 Her eyes followed him everywhere (= she was looking at him all the time). 她一直在注视着他。
- [transitive] follow something
to take an active interest in something and be aware of what is happening; to support a sports team 对…产生浓厚兴趣而关注 We've been following this story for months. 我们已经跟踪这个故事几个月了。 Have you been following the basketball championships? 你是否一直在关注篮球锦标赛的赛程？ Millions of people followed the trial on TV. 几百万人饶有兴趣地收看了电视转播的审判。 In his leisure time he follows West Ham United. 闲暇时，他跟随西汉姆联队。
Extra ExamplesThey say it takes dedication to follow a football team week-in, week-out for eight months of the season. 他们说，在一个赛季的八个月里，一周又一周地跟随一支足球队需要奉献精神。 Will this be a big shock to people who follow events closely in Washington? 对于密切关注华盛顿事件的人来说，这将是一个巨大的冲击吗？
- [transitive] follow somebody
to choose to regularly receive messages from a person, company, etc. using a social media service （在微博客上）关注（人、公司等） I don’t follow many celebrities on Twitter any more. 我不再在推特上关注很多名人了。
- [transitive] follow something
to be about the life or development of somebody/something 涉及…生活；有关…发展 - [transitive] follow something
to develop or happen in a particular way 按…方式（或方向）发展；以…方式发生
go after跟随
happen/do after在…后发生／做
advice/instructions忠告；指示
accept/copy接受；效仿
website网站
road/path道路；小径
be result结果
understand理解
watch/listen注视；听
be interested in兴趣
of book/movie书籍；电影
pattern/course模式；进程
Word OriginOld English folgian, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch volgen and German folgen.
Idioms
follow in somebody’s footsteps
follow your nose
follow suit
(in card games 纸牌游戏 to play a card of the same suit that has just been played 跟牌（跟着别人出同花色的牌） to act or behave in the way that somebody else has just done 跟着某人做；仿效某人；照着做
a hard/tough act to follow
a person or event that is so good or successful at something that it will be difficult for anyone/anything else coming after them to be as good or successful 令人望尘莫及的人 She has been an excellent principal and will be a hard act to follow. 她是一位优秀的校长，令人无法与之媲美。 Their contribution will prove a tough act to follow. 他们的贡献令人难以企及。