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Glite Dictionary
to follow suit

to follow suit

33 3.8
To do the same thing someone else did
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈfɑloʊ suːt/
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer lo mismo
  • Going nuclear is a vital national security decision, and whether nations will follow suit depends on many factors.
  • others follow suit
  • states follow suit
  • companies follow suit

We so strongly believe that the way we live is right, the way we were brought up is right, that we want our partner to kind of follow suit.

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Examples

  • But the Russians caught on and followed suit.

    Fay Grim (2007)

  • Twice, the House of Representatives passed such measures, though the Senate declined to follow suit.

    Academic text (2017)

  • And now, Russia is following suit.

    Arrival (2016)

  • Yes, I think I might follow suit.

    Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

  • France will soon follow suit.

    Darkest Hour (2017)

  • After the government has done this, private businesses may follow suit or relevant laws may be established.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Now many foundations followed suit in different ways, lots of different ways.

  • Soon thereafter, other military branches followed suit, getting legislation passed to form their own women's units.

    Academic text (2008)

  • New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New Hampshire followed suit in the mid-1700s.

    Academic text (1997)

  • After seeing the success of the new marketing strategy, several companies decided to follow suit.

Synonyms

to copy
vsto follow suit
177 1.0

Do something the same way someone else does

acts the same shortly after someone else has done it
to follow in someone's footsteps
vsto follow suit
28 3.4

To do the same job as someone who came before you, for example a parent

is done after someone else, not limited to parents or careers
to take a leaf out of someone's book
vsto follow suit
  • UK
1 4.1

Copy what someone does to get the same results

often does the same because someone else did it first, not for success

Antonyms

to lead
∞ 1.0

To guide a group or be in charge

to diverge
19 6.8

To move apart and also become different, like roads or opinions

How Similarly

to copy
177 1.0
to follow suit
  • Informal
33 3.8

Surface Forms

follow suit infinitive
followed suit past
followed suit past participle
following suit present participle
follows suit third person singular

Morphology

follow + suit

The phrase comes from card-play (to 'follow suit' = play a card of the same suit) so the meaning 'do the same thing' is idiomatic and not a straightforward composition of 'follow' + 'suit'. A B1 learner who knows 'follow' and common senses of 'suit' (clothing, lawsuit) would not reliably infer the intended meaning without prior exposure to the card-game sense or the idiom.

Etymology

The phrase follow suit comes from old card games. When one player put down a card, others had to play a card of the same suit, so to follow suit meant to copy that move and today it means 'to do the same thing'.