Obey vs. Follow — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Published on December 21, 2023
Obey means to comply with commands or instructions, while Follow means to come or go after or to adhere to an idea.
Difference Between Obey and Follow
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Obey refers to the act of submitting to someone's authority or commands and acting accordingly. It implies a sense of duty or compliance to an authority figure. Follow, on the other hand, can be more neutral and indicates the action of coming or going after something or someone.
When one chooses to Obey, there's an inherent acknowledgment of the authority of the person or rule giving the command. This relationship is clear in situations like the military, where soldiers Obey their superiors. Follow might not necessarily imply this authority. For example, someone can Follow a trend without there being an authoritative directive involved.
Obey often has a sense of immediacy and directness, stemming from a direct command. When someone is told to Obey, they are expected to act without hesitation or delay. Follow can sometimes indicate a more prolonged or indirect adherence. Someone might Follow a diet, making ongoing choices over time based on its guidelines.
In a religious context, believers are often expected to Obey the commandments or teachings of their faith. This implies a moral or divine imperative. To Follow, in the same context, might refer to the more general act of living by the principles or teachings without a specific command. For instance, one might Follow the teachings of Buddha, but Obey the Ten Commandments.
Additionally, Obey and Follow can have different grammatical roles. While both can be verbs, Obey typically requires an object (you obey something or someone), whereas Follow can be intransitive, not requiring a direct object (like in "He follows").
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Comparison Chart
Meaning
Comply with commands or instructions.
Come or go after; adhere to an idea.
Implication of Authority
Implies acknowledgment of authority.
Might not imply authority.
Duration
Often immediate and direct.
Can be prolonged or indirect.
Contexts
Military, religious commandments.
Trends, teachings, paths.
Grammatical Role
Typically transitive (needs an object).
Can be intransitive (no direct object).
Compare with Definitions
Obey
To yield to a compelling force or strength.
Ships Obey the laws of physics when at sea.
Follow
To act according to an instruction or model.
She decided to Follow her brother's advice.
Obey
To comply with or follow a command or instruction.
Soldiers must Obey their officers.
Follow
To come or go after; proceed behind
Follow the usher to your seat.
Obey
To behave according to a principle or rule.
He tries to Obey the golden rule in his daily life.
Follow
To go after in pursuit
Would follow his enemy to the ends of the earth.
Obey
To respond to a direction or command.
The dog has been trained to Obey simple commands.
Follow
To keep under surveillance
The agent followed the suspect around town.
Obey
To submit or conform in action to (someone or something).
The tribes Obey their ancient traditions.
Follow
To move along the course of; take
We followed the path.
Obey
To carry out or fulfill the command, order, or instruction of.
Follow
To move in the direction of; be guided by
Followed the sun westward.
Followed the signs to the zoo.
Obey
To carry out or comply with (a command, for example).
Follow
To lie in the same path as
The road follows the old trading route.
Obey
To behave obediently.
Follow
To be parallel to
The road follows the river.
Obey
(transitive) To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
Follow
To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of
Follow a spiritual master.
Rebels who refused to follow their leader.
Obey
(intransitive) To do as one is told.
Follow
To adhere to; practice
Followed family traditions.
Obey
To be obedient, compliant (to a given law, restriction etc.).
Follow
To take as a model or precedent; imitate
Followed my example and resigned.
Obey
To give ear to; to execute the commands of; to yield submission to; to comply with the orders of.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord.
Was she the God, that her thou didst obey?
Follow
To act in agreement or compliance with; obey
Follow the rules.
Follow one's instincts.
Obey
To submit to the authority of; to be ruled by.
My will obeyed his will.
Afric and India shall his power obey.
Follow
To keep to or stick to
Followed the recipe.
Follow a diet.
Obey
To yield to the impulse, power, or operation of; as, a ship obeys her helm.
Follow
To engage in (a trade or occupation); work at.
Obey
To give obedience.
Will he obey when one commands?
His servants ye are, to whom ye obey.
He commanded the trumpets to sound: to which the two brave knights obeying, they performed their courses.
Follow
To come after in order, time, or position
Night follows day.
Obey
Be obedient to
Follow
To bring something about at a later time than or as a consequence of
She followed her lecture with a question-and-answer period. The band followed its hit album with a tour.
Follow
To occur or be evident as a consequence of
Your conclusion does not follow your premise.
Follow
To watch or observe closely
Followed the bird through binoculars.
Follow
To be attentive to; pay close heed to
Too sleepy to follow the sermon.
Follow
To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of
Follow the stock market.
Followed the local teams.
Follow
To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand
Do you follow my argument?.
Follow
To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time.
Follow
To occur or be evident as a consequence; result
If you ignore your diet, trouble will follow.
Follow
To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand.
Follow
(Games) A billiards shot in which the cue ball is struck above center so that it follows the path of the object ball after impact.
Follow
(ambitransitive) To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching.
Follow that car!
She left the room and I followed.
Follow
(ambitransitive) To go or come after in a sequence.
B follows A in the alphabet.
We both ordered the soup, with roast beef to follow.
Follow
(transitive) To carry out (orders, instructions, etc.).
Follow these instructions to the letter.
Follow
(transitive) To live one's life according to (religion, teachings, etc).
Follow
(transitive) To understand, to pay attention to.
Do you follow me?
Follow
(transitive) To watch, to keep track of (reports of) some event or person.
I followed the incumbent throughout the election.
My friends don't regularly follow the news.
Follow
To subscribe to see content from an account on a social media platform.
If you want to see more of our articles, follow us on Twitter.
Follow
(ambitransitive) To be a logical consequence of something.
It follows that if two numbers are not equal then one is larger than the other.
If you don't practise proper hygiene, illness is sure to follow.
Follow
(transitive) To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.
Follow
In billiards and similar games, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it.
A follow shot
Follow
(social media) The act of following another user's online activity.
Follow
To go or come after; to move behind in the same path or direction; hence, to go with (a leader, guide, etc.); to accompany; to attend.
It waves me forth again; I'll follow it.
Follow
To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute.
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them.
Follow
To accept as authority; to adopt the opinions of; to obey; to yield to; to take as a rule of action; as, to follow good advice.
Approve the best, and follow what I approve
Follow peace with all men.
It is most agreeable to some men to follow their reason; and to others to follow their appetites.
Follow
To copy after; to take as an example.
We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we love.
Follow
To succeed in order of time, rank, or office.
Follow
To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise.
Follow
To watch, as a receding object; to keep the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a course of thought or argument.
He followed with his eyes the flitting shade.
Follow
To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.
O, had I but followed the arts!
O Antony! I have followed thee to this.
Follow
To go or come after; - used in the various senses of the transitive verb: To pursue; to attend; to accompany; to be a result; to imitate.
Follow
The art or process of following; specif., in some games, as billiards, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it. Also used adjectively; as, follow shot.
Follow
To travel behind, go after, come after;
The ducklings followed their mother around the pond
Please follow the guide through the museum
Follow
Be later in time;
Tuesday always follows Monday
Follow
Come as a logical consequence; follow logically;
It follows that your assertion is false
The theorem falls out nicely
Follow
Travel along a certain course;
Follow the road
Follow the trail
Follow
Act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes;
He complied with my instructions
You must comply or else!
Follow these simple rules
Abide by the rules
Follow
Come after in time, as a result;
A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake
Follow
Behave in accordance or in agreement with;
Follow a pattern
Follow my example
Follow
Be next;
Mary plays best, with John and Sue following
Follow
Choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans;
She followed the feminist movement
The candidate espouses Republican ideals
Follow
To bring something about at a later time than;
She followed dinner with a brandy
He followed his lecture with a question and answer period
Follow
Imitate in behavior; take as a model;
Teenagers follow their friends in everything
Follow
Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something;
We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba
Trace the student's progress
Follow
Follow with the eyes or the mind;
Keep an eye on the baby, please!
The world is watching Sarajevo
She followed the men with the binoculars
Follow
Be the successor (of);
Carter followed Ford
Will Charles succeed to the throne?
Follow
Perform an accompaniment to;
The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano
Follow
Keep informed;
He kept up on his country's foreign policies
Follow
To be the product or result;
Melons come from a vine
Understanding comes from experience
Follow
Accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of;
Let's follow our great helmsman!
She followed a guru for years
Follow
Adhere to or practice;
These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion
Follow
Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function;
He is a herpetologist
She is our resident philosopher
Follow
Keep under surveillance;
The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing
Follow
Follow in or as if in pursuit;
The police car pursued the suspected attacker
Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life
Follow
Grasp the meaning;
Can you follow her argument?
When he lectures, I cannot follow
Follow
Keep to;
Stick to your principles
Stick to the diet
Follow
To come or go after.
Please Follow me to the conference room.
Follow
To watch or pay attention to.
Follow the news to stay informed.
Follow
To be a fan or supporter of.
I Follow that sports team religiously.
Follow
To understand a line of thought or argument.
Do you Follow my logic?
Common Curiosities
Can both Obey and Follow be used in religious contexts?
Yes, one might Obey religious commandments but Follow a religious teaching or path.
What is the primary meaning of Obey?
Obey primarily means to comply with commands or instructions.
Is Follow synonymous with understand?
In some contexts, yes. Like when asking if someone "Follows" your explanation.
Can Follow be used without a direct object?
Yes, Follow can be intransitive and used without a direct object, whereas Obey typically requires one.
Is there always an authority involved in Obey?
Generally, to Obey implies acknowledging the authority of the command giver, while Follow might not imply the same.
How does Follow differ from Obey?
Follow means to come or go after something, while Obey implies compliance to a command or authority.
Can you Follow a trend in the same way you Obey a command?
You can Follow a trend by adhering to it over time, but you Obey a command by complying directly.
Can you Follow someone on social media in the same way you Follow a path?
Yes, but while Following on social media means to subscribe to someone's updates, Following a path means to walk or move along it.
Can you use Obey in the context of nature or physics?
Yes, for example, objects Obey the laws of physics.
Are there passive forms for Obey and Follow?
Yes, "be obeyed" and "be followed" are passive forms. For example, "The rules must be Obeyed" or "He is Followed by many fans."
Is there a sense of immediacy in Obey?
Often, Obey implies immediate compliance, while Follow might indicate prolonged adherence.
Are Obey and Follow always used as verbs?
Primarily, both words are verbs, but they can have other roles depending on the context.
Can both words be used in the context of rules?
Yes, one can Obey rules or Follow rules, though Obey might imply stricter adherence.
Do Obey and Follow have direct opposites?
Disobey is often the opposite of Obey. For Follow, depending on context, it might be lead, ignore, or deviate.
Which word implies a stronger sense of duty: Obey or Follow?
Obey often implies a stronger sense of duty due to its association with compliance to authority.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
