follower - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Middle English folwer, folwere, folewer, from Old English folgere (“follower; attendant; disciple”), equivalent to follow +‎ -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Foulger, West Frisian folger, Dutch volger, German Folger, Swedish följare.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/

follower (plural followers)

1. (literally) One who follows, comes after another.
2. Something that comes after another thing.
3. One who is a part of master's physical group, such as a servant or retainer.
4. One who follows mentally, adherer to the opinions, ideas or teachings of another, a movement etc.
   Synonyms: adherent, disciple
5. An imitator, who follows another's example.
6. A pursuer.
7. (social media) An account holder who subscribes to see content from another account on a social media platform.
   Coordinate term: followee
   I have over 50 followers on Twitter, but all my tweets only get 10 likes.
   • 2012, “Amen”, in Dreamchasers 2, performed by Meek Mill ft. Drake:
     Talking bout these other rappers getting old is even getting old / Worrying about your followers, you need to get your dollars up
   • 2026 March 11, Chad de Guzman, “Who Is Balendra Shah, the Rapper On Track to Become Nepal’s Next Prime Minister”, in TIME‎[1], archived from the original on 11 March 2026:
     Shah won over the Nepali youth vote with his outsized social media presence. His Instagram account has over 1.2 million followers, while his Facebook page has 3.8 million.
8. A machine part receiving motion from another.
   1. A tappet.
9. A man courting a maidservant; a suitor.
10. Young cattle.
11. A metal piece placed at the top of a candle to keep the wax melting evenly.
12. (Australian rules football) Any of the three players (the ruckman, ruck rover, and rover) who usually follow the ball around the ground rather than occupying a fixed position.
13. (colloquial, dated) A debt collector.
14. (locksmithing) A tool used to remove the core from a pin-tumbler lock without causing the driver pins and springs to fall out.

• leader

• precursor

• camp follower

• Christfollower

• cult follower

• fast follower

• followership

• nonfollower

• rule-follower

• following

• → German: Follower

• → French: follower

• → Hindi: फ़ॉलोअर (fŏloar)

• → Japanese: フォロワー (forowā)

• → Korean: 팔로워 (pallowo)

• → Russian: фолло́вер (follóver)

• → Ukrainian: фоловер (folover)

one who follows

• Afrikaans: volgger
• Albanian: ithtar (sq)
• Arabic: تَابِع m (tābiʕ)
  Egyptian Arabic: تابع m (tābiʕ), مرمطون m (marmaṭūn)
• Belarusian: паслядо́ўнік m (pasljadównik), паслядо́ўніца f (pasljadównica)
• Bulgarian: после́довател (bg) m (poslédovatel)
• Catalan: seguidor (ca) m
• Chinese:
  Mandarin: 追隨者 / 追随者 (zh) (zhuīsuízhě)
• Danish: efterfølger (da) c
• Dutch: volger (nl) m, navolger (nl) m
• Finnish: seuraaja (fi)
• Galician: seguidor m
• Georgian: მიმყოლი (mimq̇oli)
• German: Nachfolger (de) m, Nachfolgerin (de) f
• Greek: ακόλουθος (el) m (akólouthos)
  Ancient Greek: ἀκόλουθος m (akólouthos)
• Guarani:
  Paraguayan Guarani: (please verify) tembiguái
• Hindi: अनुयायी (hi) m (anuyāyī), अनुगामी (hi) m (anugāmī)
• Hungarian: követő (hu)
• Japanese: 支持者 (ja) (しじしゃ, shijisha)
• Korean: 추종자(追從者) (chujongja), 신봉자(信奉者) (sinbongja), 지지자(支持者) (jijija)
• Latin: sectātor m
• Macedonian: сле́дач m (slédač)
• Norn: efterman
• Old English: folgere m
• Portuguese: seguidor (pt) m
• Russian: после́дователь (ru) m (poslédovatelʹ), после́довательница (ru) f (poslédovatelʹnica)
• Spanish: seguidor (es) m
• Swahili: mfuasi (sw)
• Swedish: följare (sv) c, följeslagare (sv) c
• Tagalog: tagasunod
• Turkish: takipçi (tr)
• Ukrainian: послідо́вник (uk) m (poslidóvnyk), послідо́вниця f (poslidóvnycja)

one who adheres to the opinions, ideas or teachings of another

• Albanian: ithtar (sq)
• Bulgarian: после́довател (bg) m (poslédovatel)
• Comorian:
  Maore Comorian: mutru class 1/2
• Danish: tilhænger c, medløber c, eftersnakker c
• Dutch: volgeling (nl) m, discipel (nl) m
• Finnish: kannattaja (fi)
• French: disciple (fr) m
• Georgian: მომხრე (momxre)
• German: Anhänger (de) m
• Gothic: 𐍃𐌹𐍀𐍉𐌽𐌴𐌹𐍃 m (sipōneis), 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰 m (galaista)
• Greek: ακόλουθος (el) m (akólouthos), οπαδός (el) m (opadós)
• Guarani:
  Paraguayan Guarani: (please verify) tembiguái
• Latin: sectātor m
• Macedonian: сле́дбеник m (slédbenik), привр́заник m (privŕzanik)
• Māori: kaitautāwhi, wheao
• Middle English: servaunt, folwere
• Polish: wyznawca (pl) m
• Portuguese: seguidor (pt) m, seguidora f
• Russian: сторо́нник (ru) m (storónnik), сторо́нница (ru) f (storónnica), после́дователь (ru) m (poslédovatelʹ), после́довательница (ru) f (poslédovatelʹnica)
• Spanish: seguidor (es) m, seguidora (es) f
• Swahili: mfuasi (sw)
• Swedish: anhängare (sv) c
• Tagalog: tagasunod
• Ukrainian: послідо́вник (uk) m (poslidóvnyk), послідо́вниця f (poslidóvnycja)

imitator

• Dutch: imitator (nl) m, navolger (nl) m
• Finnish: matkija (fi)
• Middle English: folwere
• Spanish: imitador (es)

pursuer

• Bulgarian: преследва́ч m (presledváč)
• Danish: forfølger c
• Finnish: jahtaaja (fi), seuraaja (fi)
• Macedonian: просле́дувач m (prosléduvač)
• Middle English: folwere
• Russian: пресле́дователь (ru) m (preslédovatelʹ), пресле́довательница (ru) f (preslédovatelʹnica)
• Spanish: seguidor (es) m, seguidora (es) f
• Swahili: mfuasi (sw)
• Swedish: förföljare (sv) c

man courting a maidservant

Translations to be checked

• fowl-lore, refollow

Borrowed from English follower.

• IPA(key): /fɔ.lɔ.wœʁ/

follower m (plural followers)

1. (social media) follower
   Synonym: abonné
   • 2025 June, Benoît Bréville, “Tous influenceurs !”, in Le Monde diplomatique, →ISSN, page 21:
     M. Macron avec ses 4,5 millions de « followers » sur Instagram peut presque revendiquer — dans ce franglais qu'il affectionne — le titre de « big boss » des influenceurs français.
     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• IPA(key): /fɔ.lɔ.we/

follower

1. (social media) to follow
   Synonym: follow