follow suit

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fol•low /ˈfɑloʊ/   v. 

1. to come after in sequence or order;
   succeed: [~ + object]
   Night follows day, and day follows night.
   [no object]
   You lead and I'll follow.
2. to happen after something else;
   come next as an event or result: [no obj]:
   After the defeat, great disorder followed.
   [ ~ + obj]:
   Flooding followed the storm.
3. to go or come after;
   move behind in the same direction: [~ + object]
   Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.
   [no object]
   Drive ahead and I'll follow.
4. to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with;
   obey:
   [~ + object] to follow orders.
5. to move forward along:
   [~ + object] We followed the road to Gaston.
6. to go in pursuit of:
   [~ + object] The police followed the fleeing suspects.
7. to engage in or be concerned with as a pursuit:
   [~ + object] to follow an ideal.
8. to watch the development or progress of:
   [~ + object] to follow the news.
9. to keep up with and understand (an argument, story, etc.): [~ + object]
   [not: be + ~-ing] I can't follow your argument. Do you follow me?
   [no object]
   That's the explanation; can you follow?
10. to result logically as an effect: [no object]
    [not: be + ~-ing] That can't be right —it just doesn't follow.
    [~ + from + object]
    That conclusion does not follow from your premise.
    [It + ~ + that clause]
    It follows naturally that they must be innocent.
11. follow through, [no object]
    • to carry out fully, such as a stroke in golf or tennis.
    • to continue an effort, plan, proposal, policy, etc., to its completion:
      He followed through on every assignment we gave him.
12. follow up:
    • to increase the effectiveness of by further action or repetition: [~ + up + object]
      He followed up the aerobics with stretching exercises.
      [~ + object + up]
      followed them up with stretching exercises.
    • [~ + up (+ on) + object] to pursue:
      I'd like to follow up (on) that question.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

suit /sut/   n. [countable]

1. Clothing a set of garments of the same color, material, or fabric, typically trousers or a skirt, a jacket, and sometimes a vest:
   She wore a dark suit for the interview.
2. Clothing a set of clothing, armor, or the like intended for wear together.
3. Clothing any costume or outfit worn for some special activity:
   a bathing suit.
4. Law
   • an act or instance of suing in a court of law;
     a lawsuit.
5. Games one of the classes into which cards or dominoes are divided, as spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts.

v. 

6. to make appropriate;
   accommodate one thing to another:
   [~ + object] to suit the punishment to the crime.
7. to look good or attractive on:
   [~ + object* not: be + ~-ing;

   no passive]

   The color blue suits you very well.
8. to be acceptable or agreeable to: [~ + object]
   [not: be + ~-ing* no passive] The arrangements suit me just fine.
   [~ + oneself]
   If you don't want to go to the party, that's OK; suit yourself.
9. to meet the requirements of:
   [~ + object* not: be + ~-ing;
   no passive] Would an appointment next week suit your schedule?
10. Sport, Clothing suit up, to put an appropriate uniform or special suit on: [no object]
    The divers went in their locker room and suited up.
    [~ + up + object]
    The technicians suited up the astronauts.
    [~ + object + up]
    to suit them up.

Idioms

11. Idioms, Games follow suit:
    • to play a card of the same suit as that led.
    • to follow the example of another:
      Our competitors lowered computer prices, so we were forced to follow suit.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fol•low  (fol′ō), v.t. 

1. to come after in sequence, order of time, etc.:
   The speech follows the dinner.
2. to go or come after;
   move behind in the same direction:
   Drive ahead, and I'll follow you.
3. to accept as a guide or leader;
   accept the authority of or give allegiance to:
   Many Germans followed Hitler.
4. to conform to, comply with, or act in accordance with;
   obey:
   to follow orders; to follow advice.
5. to imitate or copy;
   use as an exemplar:
   They follow the latest fads.
6. to move forward along (a road, path, etc.):
   Follow this road for a mile.
7. to come after as a result or consequence;
   result from:
   Reprisals often follow victory.
8. to go after or along with (a person) as companion.
9. to go in pursuit of:
   to follow an enemy.
10. to try for or attain to:
    to follow an ideal.
11. to engage in or be concerned with as a pursuit:
    He followed the sea as his true calling.
12. to watch the movements, progress, or course of:
    to follow a bird in flight.
13. to watch the development of or keep up with:
    to follow the news.
14. to keep up with and understand (an argument, story, etc.):
    Do you follow me?

v.i. 

15. to come next after something else in sequence, order of time, etc.
16. to happen or occur after something else;
    come next as an event:
    After the defeat great disorder followed.
17. to attend or serve.
18. to go or come after a person or thing in motion.
19. to result as an effect;
    occur as a consequence:
    It follows then that he must be innocent.
20. follow out, to carry to a conclusion;
    execute:
    They followed out their orders to the letter.
21. Games, Idioms follow suit. See suit (def. 13).
22. follow through:
    • to carry out fully, as a stroke of a club in golf, a racket in tennis, etc.
    • to continue an effort, plan, proposal, policy, etc., to its completion.
23. follow up:
    • to pursue closely and tenaciously.
    • to increase the effectiveness of by further action or repetition.
    • to pursue to a solution or conclusion.

n. 

24. the act of following.
25. Games, Sport [Billiards, Pool.] See follow shot (def. 2).
26. Journalism follow-up (def. 3).

• bef. 900; Middle English folwen, Old English folgian; cognate with Old Saxon folgon, Old High German folgēn, folgōn (German folgen)

fol′low•a•ble, adj. 
Synonyms

• 3. obey.
• 4. heed, observe.
• 8. accompany, attend.
• 9. pursue, chase; trail, track, trace.
• 19. arise, proceed.
  Follow, ensue, result, succeed imply coming after something else, in a natural sequence.
  Follow is the general word:
  We must wait to see what follows. A detailed account follows.
  Ensue implies a logical sequence, what might be expected normally to come after a given act, cause, etc.:
  When the power lines were cut, a paralysis of transportation ensued.
  Result emphasizes the connection between a cause or event and its effect, consequence, or outcome:
  The accident resulted in injuries to those involved.
  Succeed implies coming after in time, particularly coming into a title, office, etc.:
  Formerly the oldest son succeeded to his father's title.

Antonyms

• 1. precede.
• 2, 3. lead.
• 4. disregard.
• 9. flee.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

suit (so̅o̅t),  n. 

1. Clothing a set of clothing, armor, or the like, intended for wear together.
2. Clothing a set of men's garments of the same color and fabric, consisting of trousers, a jacket, and sometimes a vest.
3. Clothing a similarly matched set consisting of a skirt and jacket, and sometimes a topcoat or blouse, worn by women.
4. Clothing any costume worn for some special activity:
   a running suit.
5. Slang Terms a business executive.
6. Law the act, the process, or an instance of suing in a court of law;
   legal prosecution;
   lawsuit.
7. Games [Cards.]
   • one of the four sets or classes (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs) into which a common deck of playing cards is divided.
   • the aggregate of cards belonging to one of these sets held in a player's hand at one time:
     Spades were his long suit.
   • one of various sets or classes into which less common decks of cards are divided, as lances, hammers, etc., found in certain decks formerly used or used in fortune telling.
8. Furniture suite (defs. 1–3, 5).
9. the wooing or courting of a woman:
   She rejected his suit.
10. Law the act of making a petition or an appeal.
11. a petition, as to a person of rank or station.
12. Nautical, Naval Terms Also called set. a complete group of sails for a boat.
13. Games one of the seven classes into which a standard set of 28 dominoes may be divided by matching the numbers on half the face of each: a three suit contains the 3-blank, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, and 3-6. Since each such suit contains one of each of the other possible suits, only one complete suit is available per game.
14. Games, Idioms follow suit:
    • [Cards.] to play a card of the same suit as that led.
    • to follow the example of another:
      The girl jumped over the fence, and her playmates followed suit.

v.t. 

15. to make appropriate, adapt, or accommodate, as one thing to another:
    to suit the punishment to the crime.
16. to be appropriate or becoming to:
    Blue suits you very well.
17. to be or prove satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable to;
    satisfy or please:
    The arrangements suit me.
18. Clothing to provide with a suit, as of clothing or armor;
    clothe;
    array.

v.i. 

19. to be appropriate or suitable;
    accord.
20. to be satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable.
21. Sport, Clothing suit up, to dress in a uniform or special suit.

• Anglo-French, Old French, akin to sivre to follow. See sue, suite
• Middle English siute, sute, suite (noun, nominal) 1250–1300

suit′like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

suit / suːt sjuːt/ noun

1. any set of clothes of the same or similar material designed to be worn together, now usually (for men) a jacket with matching trousers or (for women) a jacket with matching or contrasting skirt or trousers
2. (in combination) any outfit worn for a specific purpose: a spacesuit
3. any set of items, such as the full complement of sails of a vessel or parts of personal armour
4. any of the four sets of 13 cards in a pack of playing cards, being spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The cards in each suit are two to ten, jack, queen, and king in the usual order of ascending value, with ace counting as either the highest or lowest according to the game
5. a civil proceeding; lawsuit
6. the act or process of suing in a court of law
7. a petition or appeal made to a person of superior rank or status or the act of making such a petition
8. a business executive or white-collar manager
9. the act of seeking another person's love, favour, etc
10. follow suit ⇒ to play a card of the same suit as the card played immediately before it
11. to act in the same way as someone else
12. strong suit, strongest suit ⇒ something that one excels in

verb

1. to make or be fit or appropriate for
2. to meet the requirements or standards (of)
3. to be agreeable or acceptable to (someone)
4. suit oneself ⇒ to pursue one's own intentions without reference to others

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French sieute set of things, from sivre to follow; compare sue