FOLLOWS Synonyms: 171 Similar and Opposite Words

follows

verb

present tense third-person singular of follow

as in replaces

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pursues

to go after or on the track of let's follow the boys to their hiding place

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in obeys

to act according to the commands of follow me, and you'll do OK

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in traverses

to make one's way through, across, or over followed the path into the garden

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as in notes

to take notice of and be guided by don't follow his advice

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in observes

to keep one's eyes on stood on the platform and followed the departing train until it disappeared from sight

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

winks
blinks

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 follows October’s full moon follows September’s harvest moon, which marked when farmers would typically harvest their crops. — Dharma Niles, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 The orbit decides what follows In low Earth orbit, satellites encounter traces of the atmosphere. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026 Brazil's election follows a long string of victories for the Latin American right across Central and South America that started with the election of Libertarian outsider Javier Milei in Argentina in 2023. — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 His team follows online conversations and changing styles, from baggy men’s jeans to low-rise women’s denim and crystals across categories. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026 Trump’s visit to Port Huron follows former Democratic President Barack Obama's appearances Saturday in Michigan and Ohio for his party's candidates. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 The film follows lovers Lula Fortune (Laura Dern) and Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage), who are separated after Sailor is jailed for killing a man who attacked him with a knife. — Daisy Jones, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026 The police confirmation follows new reporting about the contents of the letter. — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2026 James Talarico follows the account on X and has interacted with it over the years. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for follows

Verb

The current plan replaces an earlier 2-megawatt biomass-to-energy project, approved in 2013, that would have used biomass to generate electricity.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Eaton replaces Haltom, a squad that lost 40-15 to South Grand Prairie.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of replaces

Verb

That output would provide substantial manufacturing capacity as the company pursues a higher flight rate.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, a Democrat, expressed concern over surveillance footage that shows Parra Hernandez and another person jumping out of a white truck and running as a dark SUV pursues them.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of pursues

Verb

Because light obeys a superposition principle even under classical physics, this experimental breakthrough doesn’t imply that Schrödinger’s equation necessarily applies to objects 12,900 kilometers wide.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
It must be completely replaced with an agency that obeys the law and the Constitution.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of obeys

Verb

In just over eight hours, the train traverses Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, beginning with the towns of Naperville, Princeton, and Galesburg, Illinois.

— Lauren Dana Ellman, Midwest Living, 15 Oct. 2026
The Carolinian line heads from Charlotte to Raleigh and up the coast to New York City, and the Piedmont line traverses North Carolina.

— Eva Flowe October 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of traverses

Verb

Today, his hair cropped shorter and greying, Ingalbee notes that many of those towering, old growth trees, their bark cloaked in moss, have burned in recent wildfires.

— Kirk Siegler, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026
The Exit Planning Institute notes a typical owner has around 80% of their net worth tied up in the business.

— Ron Smith, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of notes

Verb

In Europe, co-productions between Japan and France have been the most common, but Ikeda observes that projects with Italy have also increased following the signing of an official Japan-Italy co-production treaty in 2024.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026
As PennLive observes, the $10,000 scheme is an unusual attempt by a data center developer to smooth over opposition in a section of the country which is overwhelmingly opposed to the facilities.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of observes

Verb

Ard succeeds Ryan Fiedler, who has served as CFO since June 2025 and is stepping down to transition to an external consulting role, enabling him to spend more time with his family, according to the company.

— Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Mohamed succeeds Eva Vidal Dans, who left the company in June 2025.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of succeeds

Verb

Six such accounts make up the series as Hojo chases the truth behind them.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
For anyone who grinds fresh every morning and chases single-origin lots, online talk about mold and mycotoxins in coffee tends to raise a practical question about how the stuff gets onto beans in the first place.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026