follower

noun fol·low·er \ ˈfä-lə-wər \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: follower in a Sentence

Definition of follower

1 a : one in the service of another : retainer

b : one that follows the opinions or teachings of another

c : one that imitates another

2 archaic : one that chases

3 : a sheet added to the first sheet of an indenture or other deed

4 : a machine part that receives motion from another part

5 : a spring-loaded plate at the bottom of a firearm's magazine that angles cartridges for proper insertion into the chamber

6 : fan, devotee

See follower defined for English-language learners

See follower defined for kids

Examples of follower in a Sentence

The party drew most of its followers from among young people.
The band has a large group of followers.
He had a reputation of being a follower, not a leader.

Recent Examples of follower from the Web

But whether or not the feds were too harsh on the Hammonds has almost become irrelevant, because as soon as their case caught the attention of Ammon Bundy and his militant followers, their name became entwined with the Bundy cause.

— jake bullinger, Outside Online, "Trump’s Pardon Condones Western Rebellion," 12 July 2018
McCain's Twitter account dropped to 3.2 million followers, a loss of nearly 215,000 in a day.

— ronald j. hansen, azcentral, "Twitter purge hits John McCain, Ruben Gallego most among Arizona politicos," 12 July 2018
Lowe took to Facebook Live several times over the course of the search, broadcasting to his almost 50,000 followers, and spreading the word about Teenasia.

— henry j. morgan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Local activist helps family search for missing Glendale teen," 12 July 2018
Last year, Dumka – a black cat belonging to Nils Usakovs, the mayor of Riga, Latvia – wandered into an online Q&A session his human was hosting, to the delight of many of the mayor’s Facebook followers, as The Washington Post reported.

— amy b wang, The Seattle Times, "A professor was giving a TV interview about Polish politics. His cat didn’t care.," 9 July 2018
Overwatch, which also began play this year, has more than 1 million Twitch followers; the NBA 2K League has 53,000.

— rick maese, chicagotribune.com, "He quit a State Department job to play video games. Now he's a star in NBA's 2K League.," 9 July 2018
However, when Garnett learned that York had sodomized an underage female follower, her feelings curdled.

— christine pelisek, PEOPLE.com, "4 Things You'll Learn About an Egyptian-Themed Sect Hiding Child Sex Abuse, on Monday's PMI: Cults," 8 July 2018
Gay rights advocacy group Equality California, as well as an anti-Hickman group on Facebook with more than 1,500 followers, have mobilized quickly to call for Hickman's swift resignation or a recall election.

— michael mcgough, sacbee, "Thousands petition against Dixon vice mayor who wrote ‘hateful,’ homophobic column," 5 July 2018
Think of Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth and their followers, whose pictures charged the imaginations of successive generations, enlivening adventure books that are still widely read.

— charles desmarais, SFChronicle.com, "‘Truth and Beauty’ at Legion of Honor: Pure visual pleasure of an idiosyncratic style," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'follower.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of follower

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

follower Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of follower

follower, adherent, disciple, partisan mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another. follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

- an evangelist and his followers

adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

- adherents to Marxism

disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

- disciples of Gandhi

partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

- partisans of the President

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

FOLLOWER Defined for English Language Learners

follower

noun

Definition of follower for English Language Learners

: someone who supports and is guided by another person or by a group, religion, etc.
: a person who likes and admires (someone or something) very much
: someone who does what other people say to do