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.
The outbreak and ensuing drop in foot traffic arrived as the restaurant industry remains locked in a discount war.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
The major rupture also caused a sinkhole at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive, with ensuing road closures that continue to affect businesses in the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
But the Iran war and the ensuing surge in energy prices upended those expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
That optimism was short lived as Salesforce stock has cratered nearly 30% over the ensuing losing streak.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
There was an ensuing confrontation between them and followers of Elijah Muhammad in front of the Black Muslim restaurant at 116th Street and Lenox Avenue.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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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.