- present participle of ensue.
ensuing
Americanadjective
adjective
-
following subsequently or in order
-
following or occurring as a consequence; resulting
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ensuing
Explanation
If you go snowboarding in a leotard, prepare for an ensuing cold. Ensuing means "coming right after, or as a result of something that happened." Ensuing is the adjective form of the verb ensue, which comes from the Old French ensuivre, which means "following in." We usually use it to show cause and effect. Blame your entrepreneurial friend who takes bets in the lunchroom for the ensuing crackdown on employee gambling. An ensuing event happens right after its cause. If a dog bites you when you're eight, and twenty years later you start having nightmares about dog bites, those aren't ensuing nightmares. They're surfacing memories.
Vocabulary lists containing ensuing
I, Robot
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"Say It with Flowers" and "The Journey"
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Outcasts United
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That tragedy and the ensuing trauma was, naturally, the framework for the documentary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
In 2017 researchers coined the term orthosomnia to describe the tendency to chase perfect scores with sleep tracking and the ensuing sleep problems, distress, and anxiety from not receiving a perfect score.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The ensuing war saw the economically vital Strait of Hormuz paralysed and commercial shipping in the Gulf repeatedly targeted in Iranian attacks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Now, was Warsh deliberating targeting the long end of the curve with the statement and ensuing press conference?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The ensuing conflict spiraled out to involve the entire center of the Maya realm.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
