Do you know the definition of follow suit? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the term follow suit, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Dictionary and Cambridge English Dictionary, the idiom follow suit means to do the same thing as someone or something else, or to imitate someone. While this term was originally used in the game whist with regard to playing cards, nowadays the term is most often used figuratively. Try using this word of the day or other new words in a sentence today!
There are many different languages that also use terms that mean follow suit. You may notice that many of these words look similar to other translations, as well as to the word follow itself. This is likely because these words share a common origin or ancestral language like Latin or Greek. Cognates, which are words and phrases that look, sound, and mean something similar across languages are often formed this way. This list of translations is provided by Word Sense.
According to Grammarist and Phrases, the idiom follow suit has been used since the early 1800s, where it was first used literally in card camed. Many card games are played by way or a leading suit – hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs. The term follow suit originally meant to play a card that matched the suit of the card that was played by the round leader. This term turned figurative around the early 19th century.
What are synonyms and antonyms for the term follow suit?
There are many different words and phrases that one can use in place of the phrase follow suit. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing as another word or phrase. Synonyms are a useful English grammatical device to know if you are trying to avoid repeating yourself or if you are working on growing your vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the term follow suit is provided by Thesaurus.
play a part
echo
do like
parallel
emulate
affect
imitate
reflect
ditto
pretend
caricature
look like
clone
pattern after
mirror
Xerox
act like
send up
parody
repeat
personate
take off
assume
burlesque
match
reproduce
copy
resemble
model after
counterfeit
duplicate
follow
mimic
spoof
mock
follow in the footsteps of
ape
put on
replicate
sham
follow the example of
falsify
impersonate
be like
jump on the bandwagon
do likewise
borrow
travesty
simulate
reduplicate
carbon
forge
feign
mime
There are also numerous words and phrases that mean the opposite of the term follow suit. These are called antonyms, which are also useful to know if you are looking to expand your knowledge of the English language. This list of antonyms for the term follow suit is also provided by Thesaurus.
How can the phrase follow suit be used in a sentence?
The term follow suit can be used to mean to imitate in a variety of different contexts. In this first example, a boss is frustrated with a group of workers for leaving early the day prior. He questions them about their actions.
Boss: Was there no work to be done? Did you all think this was just some holiday?
Worker 1: Sir, since the 4th of July is on Monday nothing was really going on. One person left, and then the rest of us just followed suit.
Overall, these days most people use the term follow suit meaning to imitate or follow figuratively, though it was originally used with reference to card games in which people had to follow the suit of the leading card. Now, the expression has a more general meaning, referring to following or imitating something or someone.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
May 8, 2021
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