Follow
Follow verb - To go after or on the track of.
Usage example: let's follow the boys to their hiding place
Lead is an antonym for follow in topics: come after, trail, understand, take the place of, act in accordance with.
Lead
Lead verb - To point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front.
Usage example: an enthusiastic docent led our group through the art museum
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- One episode features him dancing with both female and male partners and knowing how to perform both the lead and follow roles of the waltz.
Source: Ambiguously Bi - A strategy for Mario Kart and many other kart racers, while playing with other humans, is to follow fairly closely behind the lead player but not be the lead.
Source: Do Well, but Not Perfect -
She instead encourages Maria to follow her own path in life, which does not necessarily lead to being a nun.
Source: Nun Too Holy
Cite this Source
Lead and Follow. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 10, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/follow/lead
Follow & Lead. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/follow/lead>.
Lead or Follow. 2016. Accessed August 10, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/follow/lead.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "follow" and "lead" have occurred on timeline