"follow suit" meaning in English

See follow suit in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-follow suit.ogg [Australia] Forms: follows suit [present, singular, third-person], following suit [participle, present], followed suit [participle, past], followed suit [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} follow suit (third-person singular simple present follows suit, present participle following suit, simple past and past participle followed suit)
  1. (card games) To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card. Categories (topical): Card games Translations (play a card of the same suit): 跟牌 (gēnpái) (Chinese Mandarin), bekende (Danish), bekende kulør (Danish), kartumi samembleme (Esperanto), samemblemi (Esperanto), tunnustaa maata (Finnish), fournir (French), bedienen (German), színre színt rak/tesz (Hungarian), jogar uma carta do mesmo naipe (Portuguese), сходить в масть (sxoditʹ v mastʹ) [perfective] (Russian), сыграть в масть (sygratʹ v mastʹ) [perfective] (Russian), arrastrar (Spanish), bekänna färg (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-follow_suit-en-verb-iGwCTt~N Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 74 26 Topics: card-games, games Disambiguation of 'play a card of the same suit': 95 5
  2. (idiomatic) To follow an example; to imitate or copy the actions of another. Tags: idiomatic Translations (follow an example): 學樣 (Chinese Mandarin), 学样 (xuéyàng) (Chinese Mandarin), 隨之仿效 (Chinese Mandarin), 随之仿效 (suí zhī fǎngxiào) (Chinese Mandarin), følge trop (Danish), postlaŭi (Esperanto), matkia (Finnish), seurata esimerkkiä (Finnish), noudattaa esimerkkiä (Finnish), imitoida (Finnish), jäljitellä (Finnish), emboîter le pas (French), en prendre de la graine (French), es jemandem gleichtun (German), követi a példáját (Hungarian), ugyanúgy tesz (Hungarian), ugyanazt teszi (Hungarian), prendere esempio (Italian), 先例に倣う (senrē ni narau) (alt: せんれいにならう) (Japanese), naśladować [imperfective] (Polish), iść za przykładem [imperfective] (Polish), pójść za przykładem [perfective] (Polish), imitar (Portuguese), seguir o exemplo (de) (Portuguese), подражать (podražatʹ) [imperfective] (Russian), seguir el ejemplo (de) (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-follow_suit-en-verb-OE1oEIUq Disambiguation of 'follow an example': 1 99

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for follow suit meaning in English (8.1kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "follows suit",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "following suit",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "followed suit",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "followed suit",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
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      "expansion": "follow suit (third-person singular simple present follows suit, present participle following suit, simple past and past participle followed suit)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Card games",
          "orig": "en:Card games",
          "parents": [
            "Games",
            "Recreation",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "74 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card."
      ],
      "id": "en-follow_suit-en-verb-iGwCTt~N",
      "links": [
        [
          "card game",
          "card game"
        ],
        [
          "card",
          "card"
        ],
        [
          "suit",
          "suit"
        ],
        [
          "leading",
          "leading"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(card games) To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "card-games",
        "games"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "gēnpái",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "跟牌"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "bekende"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "bekende kulør"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "kartumi samembleme"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "samemblemi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "tunnustaa maata"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "fournir"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "bedienen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "színre színt rak/tesz"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "jogar uma carta do mesmo naipe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "sxoditʹ v mastʹ",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "сходить в масть"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "sygratʹ v mastʹ",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "сыграть в масть"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "arrastrar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
          "word": "bekänna färg"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "If you are not sure of the proper etiquette, watch what others do and follow suit.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 98",
          "text": "After World War II it took time to clear up the arrears of track maintenance on both lines and it was not until 1953 that the L.M.R. restored any two-hour schedules, the W.R. following suit a year later.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1984, “So. Central Rain”, in Reckoning, performed by R.E.M.",
          "text": "The wise man built his words upon the rocks / But I'm not bound to follow suit",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 May 28, John McWhorter, “Saint Maya”, in The New Republic, →ISSN",
          "text": "I had a natural African American impulse to let this worldlywise middle-aged black woman's maternalism wash over me. And as a post-civil rights African American, I assumed that it was a white audience's job to follow suit.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 May 4, Anthony Lambert, “A revolution in ticketing”, in RAIL, number 956, page 33",
          "text": "But unless there is a Damascene conversion in the Treasury, the chances of the UK Government following suit currently look slim.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To follow an example; to imitate or copy the actions of another."
      ],
      "id": "en-follow_suit-en-verb-OE1oEIUq",
      "links": [
        [
          "follow",
          "follow"
        ],
        [
          "example",
          "example"
        ],
        [
          "imitate",
          "imitate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To follow an example; to imitate or copy the actions of another."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "學樣"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "xuéyàng",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "学样"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "隨之仿效"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "suí zhī fǎngxiào",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "随之仿效"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "følge trop"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "postlaŭi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "matkia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "seurata esimerkkiä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "noudattaa esimerkkiä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "imitoida"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "jäljitellä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "emboîter le pas"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "en prendre de la graine"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "es jemandem gleichtun"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "követi a példáját"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "ugyanúgy tesz"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "ugyanazt teszi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "prendere esempio"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "alt": "せんれいにならう",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "senrē ni narau",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "先例に倣う"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "naśladować"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "iść za przykładem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "pójść za przykładem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "imitar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "seguir o exemplo (de)"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "podražatʹ",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "подражать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "follow an example",
          "word": "seguir el ejemplo (de)"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-follow suit.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1e/En-au-follow_suit.ogg/En-au-follow_suit.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/En-au-follow_suit.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "follow suit"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "follows suit",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "following suit",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "followed suit",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "followed suit",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "follow suit (third-person singular simple present follows suit, present participle following suit, simple past and past participle followed suit)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Card games"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "card game",
          "card game"
        ],
        [
          "card",
          "card"
        ],
        [
          "suit",
          "suit"
        ],
        [
          "leading",
          "leading"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(card games) To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "card-games",
        "games"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "If you are not sure of the proper etiquette, watch what others do and follow suit.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 98",
          "text": "After World War II it took time to clear up the arrears of track maintenance on both lines and it was not until 1953 that the L.M.R. restored any two-hour schedules, the W.R. following suit a year later.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1984, “So. Central Rain”, in Reckoning, performed by R.E.M.",
          "text": "The wise man built his words upon the rocks / But I'm not bound to follow suit",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 May 28, John McWhorter, “Saint Maya”, in The New Republic, →ISSN",
          "text": "I had a natural African American impulse to let this worldlywise middle-aged black woman's maternalism wash over me. And as a post-civil rights African American, I assumed that it was a white audience's job to follow suit.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 May 4, Anthony Lambert, “A revolution in ticketing”, in RAIL, number 956, page 33",
          "text": "But unless there is a Damascene conversion in the Treasury, the chances of the UK Government following suit currently look slim.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To follow an example; to imitate or copy the actions of another."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "follow",
          "follow"
        ],
        [
          "example",
          "example"
        ],
        [
          "imitate",
          "imitate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To follow an example; to imitate or copy the actions of another."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-follow suit.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/1e/En-au-follow_suit.ogg/En-au-follow_suit.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/En-au-follow_suit.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "gēnpái",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "跟牌"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "bekende"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "bekende kulør"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "kartumi samembleme"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "samemblemi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "tunnustaa maata"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "fournir"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "bedienen"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "színre színt rak/tesz"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "jogar uma carta do mesmo naipe"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "sxoditʹ v mastʹ",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "сходить в масть"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "sygratʹ v mastʹ",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "сыграть в масть"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "arrastrar"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "play a card of the same suit",
      "word": "bekänna färg"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "學樣"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "xuéyàng",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "学样"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "隨之仿效"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "suí zhī fǎngxiào",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "随之仿效"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "隨之仿效"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "suí zhī fǎngxiào",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "随之仿效"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "følge trop"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "postlaŭi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "matkia"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "seurata esimerkkiä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "noudattaa esimerkkiä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "imitoida"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "jäljitellä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "emboîter le pas"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "en prendre de la graine"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "es jemandem gleichtun"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "követi a példáját"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "ugyanúgy tesz"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "ugyanazt teszi"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "prendere esempio"
    },
    {
      "alt": "せんれいにならう",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "senrē ni narau",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "先例に倣う"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "naśladować"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "iść za przykładem"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "pójść za przykładem"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "imitar"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "seguir o exemplo (de)"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "podražatʹ",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "подражать"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "follow an example",
      "word": "seguir el ejemplo (de)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "follow suit"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.