follower

play

noun fol·low·er \ˈfä-lə-wər\

Definition of follower

1a : one in the service of another : retainerb : one that follows the opinions or teachings of anotherc : 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

Grande shared an image of her visit to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital with her 107 million Instagram followers.

— associated press, AL.com, "Ariana Grande surprises fans in hospital recovering from Manchester Arena attack", 3 June 2017
The organization currently has over 500 members and about 1000 followers on Facebook.

— joan dittmann, Post-Tribune, "Fun float ideal for novice paddlers", 31 May 2017
There another possible explanation for Trump's mysterious follower surge.

— craig timberg, chicagotribune.com, "'Something fishy' may be going on with Trump's Twitter account, researchers say", 31 May 2017
A website that analyzes Twitter accounts, twitteraudit.com, says that of Trump’s 30.9 million followers to his personal account, @realdonaldtrump, 51 percent are real and 49 percent are fake.

— greg gordon, The Seattle Times, "Trump gets big boost in Twitter followers: Sad that nearly half aren’t real", 30 May 2017
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said Pentecost celebrated both the Holy Spirit descending onto Jesus's disciples and followers and Jesus's ascension to heaven.

— michael sebastian, Esquire, "Here's An Insane Leftovers Theory: Kevin Garvey Has Been Dead This Whole Time", 28 May 2017
Because Mr. Trump had rented the venue, Mr. Heimbach said, the candidate had authority to instruct his followers to remove protesters.

— david zucchino, New York Times, "A Trump Campaign Rally Led to Shoving, and Legal Wrangling, Too", 27 May 2017
Another lectured his 320,000 Twitter followers on the lies spread by Shiite Muslims.

— alaa shahine, Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s War on Extremism Has Some Awkward Allies in Saudi Arabia", 26 May 2017
The story is accurate (DOJ confirmed it) and has not been retracted: Why is @RepJeffDuncan falsely telling his Facebook followers that CNN retracted and removed this story?

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Gianforte’s victory after assaulting reporter reflects rising tribalism in American politics", 26 May 2017

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.

Before 12th Century

First Known Use of follower

before 12th century

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

play

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