followers

noun

plural of follower
1
as in adherents
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another the followers of Gandhi have spread his philosophy of nonviolence all over the world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imitators
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way Brando's Method acting inspired a whole generation of mumbling followers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 followers Responding to questions from followers, Kiser said Teddy is enrolled in an Infant Swimming Resource program, which teaches water survival skills to young children. — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026 Johnson has millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok who tune in specifically for this content. — Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 Aug. 2026 Nonetheless, emphasizing unfounded truths in various frantic phrases won’t gain followers to your point of view. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026 Beliefs and practices Modern Druidry is an open and eclectic religion, allowing for considerable variation in the beliefs and practices of its followers. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026 The wording led some of Hank’s followers to accuse him of using ChatGPT. — Matt Carlstrom, Vanity Fair, 14 Aug. 2026 He's garnered more than 3 million followers from his content promoting the crab industry. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026 Olsen and Salazar are known by hundreds of thousands of followers online for documenting their relationship. — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Gastélum posted similar content on his Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts, which together had more than 1 million followers. — Rey Rodríguez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for followers
  1. adherents
  2. imitators
  3. disciples
  4. echoes
Noun
  • In turn, schools like the Forge birthed a new military archetype, whose adherents were often privileged, scrappy, and damaged—just as Holden Caulfield was.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Modi’s father, Deepak Modi, established his own diamond business in Antwerp, where the Palanpuri Jains, adherents of the Jain faith, helped reshape the industry.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of adherents
Noun
  • Over the past year, a wave of imitators loaded public-company balance sheets with cryptocurrencies in hopes of sparking stock rallies, but that trade has since soured.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Unfortunately, Winger committed the mortal sins of having a pretty boy lead singer and painfully cheesy videos (even by 80s standards), so most people dismissed them and Beach as cheap imitators.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of imitators
Noun
  • Ganni disciples might pair a leopard print dresses with chunky sneakers, or puff-sleeve blouses with track pants—both formulas that helped cement it as one of the leading forces behind CPHFW’s street style.
    — Kelsey Stewart, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Almost a century after the overthrow of the goddess Akaso and her kinfolk of local deities by the arrival of white missionaries, their disciples were stepping up to root out what was left.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of disciples
Noun
  • Denis sees echoes of that survival strategy in the behavior of Haitians in South Florida and elsewhere across the United States, where many have withdrawn from public view.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The tit-for-tat brings up echoes of last year, when the rivals were locked in a blistering trade war.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of echoes

Browse Nearby Words

follower
followers
followership
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Followers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/followers. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on followers

Nglish: Translation of followers for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All