Pursue vs. Follow — What's the Difference?

Follow or chase (someone or something)

Go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); move or travel behind

Continue or proceed along (a path or route)

Come after in time or order

To follow in an effort to overtake or capture; chase

Act according to (an instruction or precept)

To strive to gain or accomplish

Pay close attention to

To proceed along the course of; follow

Practise (a trade or profession).

To carry further; advance

To come or go after; proceed behind

To take action regarding (something), especially with the intention of sustained effort

To go after in pursuit

To engage in (a vocation or hobby, for example); practice.

To keep under surveillance

To try to have a romantic relationship with

To move along the course of; take

To continue to torment or afflict; haunt

To move in the direction of; be guided by

To follow in an effort to overtake or capture; chase.

To lie in the same path as

To take action regarding something or carry on an established activity or project.

To be parallel to

(ambitransitive) To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase.

To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of

(transitive) To follow, travel down (a particular way, course of action etc.).

To adhere to; practice

(transitive) To aim for, go after (a specified objective, situation etc.).

To take as a model or precedent; imitate

(transitive) To participate in (an activity, business etc.); to practise, follow (a profession).

To act in agreement or compliance with; obey

(intransitive) To act as a legal prosecutor.

To keep to or stick to

To follow with a view to overtake; to follow eagerly, or with haste; to chase; as, to pursue a hare.

To engage in (a trade or occupation); work at.

To seek; to use or adopt measures to obtain; as, to pursue a remedy at law.

To come after in order, time, or position

To proceed along, with a view to some and or object; to follow; to go in; as, Captain Cook pursued a new route; the administration pursued a wise course.

To bring something about at a later time than or as a consequence of

To prosecute; to be engaged in; to continue.

To occur or be evident as a consequence of

To follow as an example; to imitate.

To watch or observe closely

To follow with enmity; to persecute; to call to account.

To be attentive to; pay close heed to

To go in pursuit; to follow.

To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of

To go on; to proceed, especially in argument or discourse; to continue.

To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand

To follow a matter judicially, as a complaining party; to act as a prosecutor.

To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time.

Carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in;

To occur or be evident as a consequence; result

Follow in or as if in pursuit;

To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand.

Go in search of or hunt for;

(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.

Carry further or advance;

(ambitransitive) To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching.

(ambitransitive) To go or come after in a sequence.

(transitive) To carry out (orders, instructions, etc.).

(transitive) To live one's life according to (religion, teachings, etc).

(transitive) To understand, to pay attention to.

(transitive) To watch, to keep track of (reports of) some event or person.

To subscribe to see content from an account on a social media platform.

(ambitransitive) To be a logical consequence of something.

(transitive) To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.

In billiards and similar games, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it.

(social media) The act of following another user's online activity.

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.

To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute.

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.

To copy after; to take as an example.

To succeed in order of time, rank, or office.

To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise.

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.

To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.

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.

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.

To travel behind, go after, come after;

Be later in time;

Come as a logical consequence; follow logically;

Travel along a certain course;

Act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes;

Come after in time, as a result;

Behave in accordance or in agreement with;

Be next;

Choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans;

To bring something about at a later time than;

Imitate in behavior; take as a model;

Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something;

Follow with the eyes or the mind;

Be the successor (of);

Perform an accompaniment to;

Keep informed;

To be the product or result;

Accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of;

Adhere to or practice;

Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function;

Keep under surveillance;

Follow in or as if in pursuit;

Grasp the meaning;

Keep to;