ensue
Americanverb (used without object)
-
ensues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ensued,
past participle, past
-
ensuing
present participle
verb
-
(intr) to follow; come next or afterwards
-
(intr) to follow or occur as a consequence; result
-
obsolete (tr) to pursue
Synonym Usage
See follow.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ensuesimple
-
ensuessimple
-
have ensuedperfect
-
has ensuedperfect
-
am ensuingprogressive
-
are ensuingprogressive
-
is ensuingprogressive
-
have been ensuingperfect progressive
-
has been ensuingperfect progressive
Past
-
ensuedsimple
-
had ensuedperfect
-
was ensuingprogressive
-
were ensuingprogressive
-
had been ensuingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ensue
First recorded in 1450–1500; Middle English ensuen, from Anglo-French ensuer, cognate with Old French ensui(v)re; see en- 1, sue
Explanation
If something happens after something else, it will ensue, meaning it will follow after or be the result. When a sneeze comes out, and he hears the "Achoo!," a "Bless you" or "Gesundheit" soon will ensue. One way to remember the verb ensue is to rhyme it with "due." A happening that is due to happen will ensue, "Throwing a glass of ice water in his face guaranteed that a chase would ensue." Often what follows is a response to words or actions, so what will ensue is what will happen as a consequence. A struggle might ensue if a thief grabs a purse, and a discussion might ensue if two sides disagree.
Vocabulary lists containing ensue
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 9, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Night
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
He is hired by the owner and ringmaster August Rosenbluth, but complications ensue when Jacob falls for August’s wife, Marlena, as they work together to train a stubborn elephant named Rosie for their star act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
If it does make a bomb, a regional arms race could ensue.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Once it becomes clear that returns aren’t measuring up to the scale of those outlays, a pullback in financing and stock prices could ensue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
It’s particularly useful as a contrarian tool when sharp falls can suggest traders are too cautious, and a rally may ensue.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
Days of darkness ensue, the switches dead, the grid empty.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Salterelli has seen cases where competing grandmothers both want to be guardians and a custody battle ensues.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
A struggle ensues and the man is pulled down, with his trousers appearing to fall down, before he is arrested by officers in the garden of the property.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
A little banter ensues, making way for the real surprise guests: fellow Olympic hockey champions Megan Keller and team captain Hilary Knight.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
The surprise success goes immediately to Toño’s head, and Vargas Llosa is very funny about the backlash that ensues when a fringe scholar is nudged into the mainstream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
When no one knows where you fit into the social order of color and creed, confusion ensues until order is restored.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Before Monday night’s Buffalo Bills-Rams game at SoFi Stadium, FOS reports, Buck brought up the matter to his broadcast partner, and an argument ensued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
A messy legal battle ensued, and earlier this month the Missouri Supreme Court sided with the petitioners, finding Hoskins in contempt while validating the legality of the referendum petition.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
After the initial dust cloud that followed the collapse of the World Trade Center, months of pollution and lingering dust ensued, causing cancers that thousands of New Yorkers still suffer today.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
They were approached by three teenagers and a scuffle ensued.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
“Doors opened, people were summoned, whispered conversations ensued, there was great excitement.”
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
“No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow and the ensuing days,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
But the ensuing row could make Seoul even more reluctant to do so, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
The ensuing protests were violent and costly and worried many of us, not because we agreed with Mr. Yiannopoulos, but because outrage over ideas had turned students against each another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
I’m much happier with an occasional Big Seasonal Prep Day — fill the freezer with soups, sauces, breakfast burritos and other useful things — and then let the ensuing weeks fall where they will.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
It continues through ensuing cell divisions, so that all the descendant cells have this abnormal method of respiration.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
