followed
followed — 動詞
1. to move behind a person, animal, or vehicle and go where they go
跟隨
在某人或某物後面移動
to move behind a person, animal, or vehicle and go where they go
A small dog followed Esme all the way to the bus stop.
一隻小狗跟著 Esme 一路走到公車站。
The children followed their teacher into the museum.
孩子們跟著老師走進博物館。
pattern: follow + [person] + into + [place]
A blue car had been following Rachid for several minutes.
一輛藍色的車已經跟了 Rachid 好幾分鐘。
Heloísa walked ahead while her younger cousin followed close behind.
Heloísa 走在前面，她的小表弟緊緊跟在後頭。
- lead
to go first so that others follow you
文法句型
follow + [person/animal] + to/into/through + [place]
用法筆記
Often used with direction phrases like 'into', 'out of', 'through', 'along', or 'to'.
常見錯誤
2. to travel along a road, path, or route
沿著…走
沿著某條道路或路線前進
to travel along a road, path, or route
Follow this path through the forest and you will reach the lake.
沿著這條小徑穿過森林，你就會到達湖邊。
imperative: Follow + [path/road]
Christopher followed the coastal road for almost two hours.
Christopher 沿著海岸公路開了將近兩個小時。
If you follow this street for three blocks, the hospital is on your left.
如果你沿著這條街走三個路口，醫院就在你的左邊。
Ziad followed the mountain trail until he reached the waterfall.
Ziad 沿著山間小徑一直走到瀑布。
文法句型
follow + [road/path/street]
用法筆記
The object is always a way, path, road, street, route, track, or similar.
3. in a card game, to put down a card that matches the symbol of the card played ju
跟牌
在牌局中出相同花色的牌
in a card game, to put down a card that matches the symbol of the card played just before yours
Eli had no diamonds left, so he could not follow suit.
Eli 手上沒有菱形牌了，所以他無法跟牌。
fixed phrase: follow suit
"You have to follow if you can," Tara said, placing a heart on the table.
「你有牌就得跟，」Tara 說著，在桌上放了一張紅心。
In a game of bridge, you must follow the suit that was led.
在橋牌比賽中，你必須跟出首引的花色。
James played a spade, so everyone else at the table had to play a spade too.
James 出了一張黑桃，所以桌上的每個人都得出一張黑桃。
- match the suit
a description rather than a single verb
文法句型
follow suit (fixed phrase)
用法筆記
Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'follow suit' in card games.
4. to act or behave in the same way as another person or group
效仿；模仿
模仿他人的行為或做法
to act or behave in the same way as another person or group
Hiro followed his older brother's example and joined the school band.
Hiro 效仿哥哥的榜樣，加入了學校樂隊。
collocation: follow + [someone]'s example
When one shop lowered its prices, many others quickly followed.
一家商店降價後，許多其他商店也很快跟進。
intransitive use: many others followed
Dewi followed a recipe from a Korean cooking blog to make kimchi stew.
Dewi 依照韓國料理部落格的食譜，做了泡菜鍋。
Several tech companies followed the startup's lead and launched similar apps.
幾家科技公司跟隨那家新創公司的腳步，推出了類似的應用程式。
- differ from
to be or act differently
文法句型
follow + [someone]'s example/lead
follow + [a/the] recipe/plan/trend
用法筆記
Common in business contexts to describe copying a competitor's strategy ('follow someone's lead').
5. to happen or exist after something else, especially in time or order
隨後發生
在另一個事件之後發生
to happen or exist after something else, especially in time or order
A loud thunderstorm followed the week of extremely hot weather.
一週的極端高溫天氣之後，緊接著來了一場大雷雨。
pattern: [event 1] follows [event 2]
The main dish was followed by a light fruit dessert.
主菜之後上了一道清淡的水果甜點。
passive: was followed by
A long silence followed Hannah's question about the missing money.
Hannah 問到那筆不見的錢之後，是一陣長時間的沉默。
The announcement was followed by a round of applause from the audience.
公告之後，聽眾報以一陣掌聲。
- come after
less formal; works for both time and order
- succeed
formal; often used for roles or positions
- precede
to come before something in time or order
文法句型
[event 1] is/was followed by [event 2]
用法筆記
Often used in the passive with 'by' to show sequence: X is followed by Y.
常見錯誤
6. used to tell someone that several items or examples will be given next, especial
如下
用於引出接下來的列表
used to tell someone that several items or examples will be given next, especially in formal writing or speech
The rules of the competition are as follows: each team must have four players.
比賽規則如下：每隊必須有四名選手。
fixed phrase: are as follows
The winners for this year are as follows: James in first place, Élise in second.
今年的優勝者如下：James 第一名，Élise 第二名。
The items you need to bring are as follows: a towel, a change of clothes, and a water bottle.
你需要攜帶的物品如下：一條毛巾、一套換洗衣物和一個水壺。
Our plan for the day is as follows: visit the museum, have lunch, then walk in the park.
我們今天的計畫如下：參觀博物館、吃午餐、然後在公園散步。
- the following
used as adjective before a noun: 'the following items'
文法句型
as follows (fixed expression)
用法筆記
Always appears in the fixed expression 'as follows' (not 'as follow'), regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.
常見錯誤
7. to do what a person, rule, law, or instruction tells you to do
遵守
遵守命令或規定
to do what a person, rule, law, or instruction tells you to do
The children were taught to follow the school rules from their first day.
孩子們從第一天就被教導要遵守校規。
collocation: follow the rules
Christopher carefully followed the instructions on the medicine bottle.
Christopher 仔細遵照藥瓶上的說明。
Drivers who do not follow traffic laws can receive heavy fines.
不遵守交通規則的駕駛可能會收到高額罰款。
Tunde refused to follow the doctor's advice about cutting down on salt.
Tunde 拒絕聽從醫生關於減少鹽分攝取的建議。
The dog had been trained to follow every command its owner gave.
這隻狗受過訓練，會遵從主人下的每一個命令。
文法句型
follow + noun phrase
用法筆記
Common objects include 'rules', 'instructions', 'laws', 'orders', and 'advice'.
常見錯誤
8. to develop or move forward in a set direction, matching a known plan or structur
進行
以特定方式發展
to develop or move forward in a set direction, matching a known plan or structure
The meeting followed a strict schedule, with each speaker given ten minutes.
會議按照嚴格的時程進行，每位講者正好有十分鐘。
pattern: follow + noun phrase describing the course
Wei's career followed a very different path from what his parents had expected.
Wei 的職涯發展方向與他父母原先預期的截然不同。
The story followed a simple pattern: the hero left home, faced danger, and returned.
這個故事按照一個簡單的模式進行：主角離家、面對危險，然後歸來。
The investigation will follow standard procedures before any charges are filed.
調查將按照標準程序進行，之後才會提出指控。
Quan's recovery followed a slow but steady path after the operation.
Quan 的康復過程以緩慢但穩定的方式進行。
文法句型
follow + adverb phrase
用法筆記
Often used with 'path', 'pattern', 'course', 'route', or 'schedule' to describe how something develops.
9. to watch or pay close attention to something as it happens, changes, or develops
關注
密切注意發展
to watch or pay close attention to something as it happens, changes, or develops
Fans around the world followed the tennis tournament on social media.
世界各地的球迷在社群媒體上關注這場網球錦標賽。
follow + event on social media
Eliska followed the election news with great interest every day.
Eliska 每天都懷著極大的興趣關注選舉新聞。
The detective had been following the suspect's movements for several weeks.
偵探已經持續關注嫌犯的行蹤好幾個星期了。
Shanti followed the trial closely, reading every update the newspaper published.
Shanti 密切關注審判過程，報紙每篇最新報導她都讀了。
The whole class followed the science experiment as the teacher showed each step.
全班同學都專心看著老師一步步示範科學實驗。
- ignore
to deliberately pay no attention
文法句型
follow + noun phrase
用法筆記
Common objects include 'events', 'news', 'developments', and 'movements'. Different from sense 7 (OBEY) — this sense is about watching, not obeying.
10. to come about because of something that happened earlier
因而產生
做為因果關係中的結果發生
to come about because of something that happened earlier
If you eat too much sugar, health problems may follow.
如果吃太多糖，健康問題可能隨之而來。
intransitive: [result] follows from [cause]
A heated argument followed, and neither side would back down.
因此引發了一場激烈的爭論，雙方都不肯讓步。
It does not follow that everyone who works hard will become rich.
並非每個努力工作的人都會變有錢，這不一定成立。
If the dam breaks, widespread flooding will surely follow.
如果水壩潰堤，大規模洪水肯定會隨之而來。
From these symptoms, the doctor concluded that an infection would follow.
根據這些症狀，醫師斷定之後會發生感染。
- cause
to make something happen, the opposite direction of cause and effect
文法句型
it follows that + clause
noun phrase + follows
follow from + noun phrase
用法筆記
Common in the phrases 'it follows that…' and 'as follows'. The subject is often an event or situation, not a person.
常見錯誤
11. to understand what someone is saying or explaining while they are saying it
聽懂
理解正在進行的說明
to understand what someone is saying or explaining while they are saying it
The lecture was so fast that Sana could not follow the professor's argument.
講座速度太快，Sana 跟不上教授的論點。
negative: cannot / could not follow
Pim found it hard to follow the complicated plot of the movie.
Pim 覺得很難理解這部電影複雜的情節。
Do you follow what I am saying so far?
你聽得懂我目前為止說的嗎？
The children could not follow the teacher's explanation because she used very difficult words.
孩子們聽不懂老師的解釋，因為她用了一些很難的字。
Bilal nodded along to show that he was following the conversation.
Bilal 邊聽邊點頭，表示他跟得上談話內容。
- understand
broader; can be for general comprehension, not necessarily in real time
- grasp
more formal; suggests a deeper understanding
- miss
to fail to understand or catch what was said
文法句型
follow + noun phrase
can/could follow
用法筆記
Often used with 'can' or 'cannot', as in 'I can't follow you'. This sense is about real-time understanding, not general knowledge.
常見錯誤
12. to look at written words or musical notes while someone performs or speaks them,
跟著讀
同步閱讀文字或樂譜
to look at written words or musical notes while someone performs or speaks them, matching their pace
The choir members followed the sheet music as the conductor led them.
合唱團成員一邊看著樂譜，一邊跟著指揮演唱。
music: follow the sheet music / the score
Mira followed the lyrics on her phone while the band played the song.
樂團演奏歌曲時，Mira 邊看著手機上的歌詞邊跟著哼唱。
Darius tried to follow the French subtitles but the dialogue was too quick.
Darius 試著跟看法文字幕，但對話速度太快了。
Rin followed the karaoke lyrics on the big screen, singing along with everyone else.
Rin 看著大螢幕上的卡拉 OK 歌詞，跟著大家一起唱。
The pianist followed the conductor's baton while reading the complex orchestral score.
鋼琴家一邊看著複雜的管弦樂譜，一邊跟著指揮的節奏。
- keep up with
more common in everyday speech; emphasises staying at the same speed
- lose
as in 'lose one's place' in the music or text
文法句型
follow + noun phrase
用法筆記
This sense is about simultaneous tracking — moving your eyes or voice along with a performance. Do not confuse with sense 9 (FOLLOW CLOSELY), which is about watching events unfold over time.
13. to subscribe to see updates from another person's account by linking your profil
追蹤
在社群媒體上訂閱某人
to subscribe to see updates from another person's account by linking your profile on a social platform
Darius follows several chefs on Instagram to learn new recipes.
Darius 在 Instagram 上追蹤了幾位廚師，學習新的食譜。
collocation: follow [someone] on [platform]
Nkechi started following a Taiwanese musician on YouTube after hearing his song.
Nkechi 在聽到一首歌後，開始在 YouTube 上追蹤一位台灣音樂人。
aspect: start + following + [person on platform]
Tara follows her local news page on Facebook to stay informed about community events.
Tara 在 Facebook 上追蹤當地的新聞專頁，以便隨時了解社區活動。
Élise follows a travel blogger on TikTok for ideas about her next holiday.
Élise 在 TikTok 上追蹤一位旅遊部落客，為她的下一趟假期尋找靈感。
- subscribe to
more common for channels or newsletters; 'follow' is broader and more casual
- friend
implies mutual approval; 'follow' can be one-way
- unfollow
to stop seeing someone's posts
用法筆記
Commonly followed by a person's name or a brand/page. Use 'on' before the platform name (e.g., 'follow someone on YouTube'). This sense is specific to social media and is not used for offline contexts.