foller

foller pronunciation

/FAHL-er/

Meaning

Same as follow: trail behind, ride after, take the same road. In Appalachian and rural Southern speech the final "ow" often turns to "er," so follow lands as foller, just like hollow becomes holler and fellow becomes feller. Older talk also used follow for what you do for a living ("What do you foller?"), though that sense is thinner now.

How folks use it

• “I'll foller you down to the creek in the truck.”
• “Don't foller too close on that muddy road.”

Origin and etymology

Dialect pronunciation of follow, not a separate root word. Part of a wider Southern and Appalachian pattern where word-final /oʊ/ becomes /ər/. DARE notes spellings like foller, folla, and folluh across the South and mountains. Writers set it in mountain dialogue the same way they write yaller or holler.

Frequently asked questions