follow suit

phrase

1
: to play a card of the same suit as the card led
2
: to follow an example set
When one airline lowers its fares, the others usually follow suit.

Examples of follow suit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After Taobao rolled out its AI calling feature, rival Meituan followed suit. — Zoë Schiffer, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026 A little over a decade after the vineyard opened to the public, the Farmhouse at Veritas followed suit, providing a place to stay along the Monticello Wine Trail for those looking for an escape nestled in the mountains. — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2026 Many of our supply chain partners are following suit by relocating or expanding their existing presence in the area. — Paul Cho, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026 Eight more states, under both Republican and Democratic control, followed suit. — Dan Lipinski, Baltimore Sun, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for follow suit

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of follow suit was in 1643

Rhymes for follow suit

See All Rhymes for follow suit

Browse Nearby Words

follow spot
follow suit
follow the crowd
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Follow suit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/follow%20suit. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of reticent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All