follower

noun

fol·​low·​er ˈfä-lə-wər How to pronounce follower (audio)
1
a
: one in the service of another : retainer
b
: one that follows the opinions or teachings of another
c
: one that imitates another
2
archaic : one that chases
3
: a sheet added to the first sheet of an indenture or other deed
4
: a machine part that receives motion from another part
5
: a spring-loaded plate at the bottom of a firearm's magazine that angles cartridges for proper insertion into the chamber
6
7
: one who subscribes to a feed especially on social media
His account has thousands of followers.
Choose the Right Synonym for follower

follower, adherent, disciple, partisan mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another.

follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

Examples of follower in a Sentence

The party drew most of its followers from among young people. The band has a large group of followers. He had a reputation of being a follower, not a leader.
Recent Examples on the Web As fire trucks raced to the scene of the emergency, Ross, who lives across the way from Hill, hopped on social media to give his followers all the tea. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 From up-and-coming creators to major influencers with millions of followers who moved to Charlotte, there are dozens of online users documenting their lives and different parts of the city. Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024 There’s a trove of buzz-worthy content on the web thanks to the best barbers on social media, and many are providing their followers with more than just images of stylish cuts. Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024 This means that leaders in government and business must cooperate, collaborate, and compromise to secure for their followers reasonable political equality and sufficient economic security. Barbara Kellerman, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 Swift’s message, however, may not immediately reach her followers Tuesday, with users of Instagram and other Meta platforms Facebook and Threads reporting login issues in what appears to be a widespread outage. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Get out the vote: Music superstar Taylor Swift is urging her millions of followers to make a Super Tuesday voting plan. NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 As guests began arriving to the hotel, a few of his 540,000 followers, I’m told by one of the hotel managers, soon followed with risky ambitions to recreate the same photo. Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024 Swift is a major influencer with 281 million Instagram followers. Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'follower.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of follower was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near follower

Cite this Entry

“Follower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/follower. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

follower

noun
fol·​low·​er ˈfäl-ə-wər How to pronounce follower (audio)
1
2
3
4
: one who subscribes to a feed especially on social media

More from Merriam-Webster on follower

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