follow vs imitate

follow and imitate both are verbs.

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

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

Other hypernyms of follow include copy, simulate.

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

Other hypernyms of follow include copy, simulate.

follow (verb)	imitate (verb)
behave in accordance or in agreement with	reproduce someone's behavior or looks
keep informed	make a reproduction or copy of
keep to	appear like, as in behavior or appearance
follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something
grasp the meaning
imitate in behavior; take as a model
perform an accompaniment to
to travel behind, go after, come after
travel along a certain course
follow in or as if in pursuit
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