Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

ăn theo

[ʔan˧˧ tʰɛw˧˧]

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to jump on the bandwagon; to follow a trend or someone else's success for personal gain or profit

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

theo đuổi xu hướng hoặc thành công của người khác để đạt lợi ích

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Nhiều cửa hàng mở ra chỉ để ăn theo sức nóng của món trà chanh.Many shops opened just to jump on the bandwagon of the lemon tea craze.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to copy or imitate a popular style or product (often with lower quality)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

sao chép hoặc bắt chước phong cách hoặc sản phẩm phổ biến

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

What does “ăn theo” mean?

(verb) to jump on the bandwagon; to follow a trend or someone else's success for personal gain or profit

Is “ăn theo” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“jump on the bandwagon” (English) — near equivalent.