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 This follows a successful season 18 which delivered double-digit growth over the previous season and set a new franchise premiere viewership record. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 16 Aug. 2026 Each meal follows a longevity menu of about 1,800 calories based on Palazzo Fiuggi’s Food as Medicine philosophy, developed by Michelin three-star chef Heinz Beck with the resort’s medical team. — Ken Gawrych, Robb Report, 16 Aug. 2026 The drive back follows the Klondike Highway, offering a different perspective on the same mountain landscapes crossed by rail. — Bailey Berg, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2026 Anyone who follows major college football is well aware Craig is a Harvardian. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Aug. 2026 What follows is presumably the narrator’s effort to make good on his or her threat. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 The confusion follows Frankie Valli’s decision in May to cancel a 2026 farewell tour due to his ongoing health challenges. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026 The move follows a series of attacks in Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited before the war. — Arsalan Shahla, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026 American mahjong follows rules set by the National Mah Jongg League, which introduces new hand combinations every year. — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for follows

Verb

If a cement plant simply replaces fossil fuels with renewable electricity, its emissions can fall substantially.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 13 Aug. 2026
For manageable balances, couples may want to start by creating a repayment strategy that prioritizes high-rate debt or by exploring a debt consolidation loan that replaces multiple balances with one payment.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of replaces

Verb

The human brain is a physical object, composed of biological material that obeys the laws that govern the rest of the universe, computers included.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
Nietzsche says somewhere that the illusion of willpower rests on our tendency to identify with the part of our soul that commands, not the part that obeys.

— Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

Definition of obeys

Verb

While the show fluidly traverses the years before and after it, dropping in on Hal and John at key moments in their lives, the investigation that puts the two men in buddy-cop mode unfolds in 2016, two decades after the William Tell scene.

— Judy Berman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026
In your periphery to the left, a spacewalker traverses the exterior of the station.

— Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 26 July 2026

Definition of traverses

Verb

The researchers accounted for confounding factors such as age, race, history of hypertension and other traits, notes Jacob Shaw, a study co-author and psychiatry resident at Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
Leaders As 'Hope-Givers' Gallup describes hope as the idea that the future can be brighter than today and notes that people have the power to help make that happen.

— Charles E. Owubah, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of notes

Verb

If her team observes similar findings in people, a next step would be to further test using the BNST as a screening method in clinical trials.

— Marie Doyle, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026
The film stays close to a fragile father daughter relationship and observes how denial shapes intimacy.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of observes

Verb

The film succeeds not only as an examination of the extraordinary quandary facing the couple but also simply as a compelling wartime drama featuring excellent performances from the two leads, who are, like most of the cast, non-professional actors.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
The new flagship succeeds the X5 with native 8K50fps 360-degree video, up from 8K30fps, while retaining its familiar pocket-sized form.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of succeeds

Verb

Absorptive art beckons the viewer—who chases after that which ignores it, a tale as old as time—whereas the Minimalism Fried attacked was very big, very look-at-me, very exhibitionist.

— Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Wolverine chases the kidnappers across the rooftops, battling sword-wielding mercenaries and archers who leave arrows embedded in his body.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026