follow vs apply

follow and apply both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
follow	No	No	Yes	No
apply	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, apply is a hypernym of follow; that is, apply is a word with a broader meaning than follow:

Other hypernyms of follow include practice, use.

follow (verb)	apply (verb)
behave in accordance or in agreement with	ask (for something)
keep informed	refer (a word or name) to a person or thing
keep to	put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something	coat, cover or smear a surface with
grasp the meaning	give or convey physically
imitate in behavior; take as a model	avail oneself to
perform an accompaniment to	ensure observance of laws and rules
to travel behind, go after, come after	apply oneself to
travel along a certain course	be pertinent or relevant or applicable
follow in or as if in pursuit	be applicable to; as to an analysis
keep under surveillance
choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans
to subscribe to someone's updates on social media
to be subscribed to updates from another user on social media
act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
be the successor (of)
follow with the eyes or the mind
work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function
accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of
adhere to or practice
be later in time
come after in time, as a result
be next
to bring something about at a later time than
to be the product or result
come as a logical consequence; follow logically