follower

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A person who believes in or supports a leader, idea, religion or movement.

   Grammar: Countable; usually followed by of: a follower of the teacher.

   Patterns

   • follower of someone
   • follower of something

   She was a devoted follower of the old philosopher.

   The leader asked his followers to stay calm.

   Followers of the faith gather here every spring.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A person who subscribes to an account on social media so that they see what its owner posts.

   Grammar: Countable and common online: she has two thousand followers.

   Patterns

   • gain followers
   • follower count

   Her cooking channel gained ten thousand followers in a month.

   Thanks to all my new followers for the kind messages.

   The brand tracks its follower count every week.

3. 3nouncountable

   Someone who is a regular fan or close observer of a sport, hobby or field.

   Grammar: Countable; often with of: a follower of cricket.

   Patterns

   • follower of a sport
   • follower of fashion

   He is a keen follower of Formula One.

   Longtime followers of the band noticed the new sound.

   Followers of fashion rushed to buy the coat.

4. 4nouncountabledisapproving

   A person who copies or obeys others instead of taking the lead.

   Grammar: Countable, often contrasted with leader: she was a follower, not a leader.

   Patterns

   • be a follower
   • a born follower

   At school he was a follower who copied his friends.

   Good teams need both leaders and followers.

   She refused to be a follower of trends.

Word forms

Common combinations

loyal follower

A loyal follower stayed with the leader through every setback.

social media followers

The athlete has millions of social media followers.

gain followers

The bakery gained followers after its video went viral.

lose followers

The influencer lost followers after the argument.

devoted follower

Her devoted followers waited outside for hours.

Synonyms and how they differ

supporter

Supporter stresses active backing, such as for a team or cause, whereas follower can be passive.

disciple

Disciple suggests a close student of a teacher or belief and sounds more serious than follower.

fan

Fan is warmer and informal and describes enthusiasm for a person or activity, not obedience.

subscriber

Subscriber is the usual word for video channels, newsletters and magazines, while follower is typical on social networks.

Opposites

Word family

follow verb

to go after or support

following noun

a group of supporters

followership noun

the act or state of being a follower

unfollow verb

to stop following an account

Commonly confused: follower or fellow?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “follower”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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