Follow
Take After
noun, verbal noun
Even if you follow all the people you've ever met, you're still following them. Once a follower, always a follower.
This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. You haven't learned this reading for 追 yet, so here's a mnemonic to help you:
They get you to follow them by yelling TWEET (つい)! Birds tend to follow each other, and something about hearing them tweeting at you makes you feel like you have to follow them.
この会社は、圧倒的な強さで、他社の追随を許しませんでした。
This company is unrivaled by other companies with its overwhelming strength.