dog (one's) footsteps
To appear to follow or accompany one wherever they go. It's a shame, but tragedy has been dogging her footsteps for years. Even if I move to a new town, my involvement with the crime will still dog my footsteps. It'll follow me wherever I go for the rest of my life. Look, these rumors will continue to dog your footsteps until you publicly dispel them.
follow in (one's) footsteps
To pursue something that someone else (often a family member) has already done. My father was an engineer, and I plan to follow in his footsteps and study engineering in college. I am following in my sister's footsteps and joining her old sorority. A: "You didn't act while you were in high school?" B: "No way! I was too shy to follow in my brother's footsteps!"
follow in the footsteps of (someone)
To pursue something that someone else (often a family member) has already done. I plan to follow in the footsteps of my father and study engineering in college. We are following in the footsteps of all the members of the sorority that came before us! A: "You didn't act while you were in high school?" B: "No way! I'm too shy to follow in the footsteps of my brother!"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
follow in someone's tracks
and follow in someone's footstepsto follow someone's example; to assume someone else's role or occupation. The vice president was following in the president's footsteps when he called for budget cuts. She followed in her father's footsteps and went into medicine.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
follow in someone's footsteps
Also, follow in someone's tracks. Follow someone's example or guidance. For example, Dean hoped his son would follow in his footsteps and become an economist, or Jane tried to follow in her mentor's tracks. [Mid-1500s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
follow in someone's footsteps
COMMON If you follow in someone's footsteps, you do the same thing that they did. Rudolph Garvin was a college student, the son of a physician, who wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He has developed on the pitch into a highly talented player, poised to follow in the footsteps of such Portuguese greats as Eusebio.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
follow (or tread) in someone's footsteps
do as another person did before, especially in making a journey or following an occupation.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
dog somebody’s ˈfootsteps
(of a problem or bad luck) seem to follow somebody everywhere: Bad luck seems to have dogged our footsteps from the beginning.follow in somebody’s ˈfootsteps
to do the same job, have the same style of life, etc. as somebody else, especially somebody in your family: He followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a lawyer.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
follow in (someone's) footsteps
To carry on the behavior, work, or tradition of.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
follow in the footsteps of, to
To succeed someone; to accept someone as an exemplary master or guide. This same idea was expressed in the Bible, in the first Book of Peter (2:21), “Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps,” as well as in the Christmas carol, “Good King Wenceslas,” by John Mason Neale (1818–66), “Mark my footsteps, good my page, tread thou in them boldly.” A more sinister meaning also exists, namely in guerrilla warfare, where troops march single file, each stepping into the footprints of the one before, with the last warrior obliterating all the prints. This practice was used by American Indians in the French and Indian wars of the eighteenth century and consequently was called Indian file. See also hard act to follow.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer