Meanings
present singular third person ensues · participle present ensuing · participle past ensued · past ensued · alternative archaic insue
- obsoletetransitiveTo follow (a leader, inclination etc.).First known use 15th–17th c.
To ensue his example in doynge the like mischiefe.
1606, G. W. Justine, transl., The Historie of Justine1 more example
to ripenesse of mans state they grew: / Then shewing forth signes of their fathers blood, / They loued armes, and knighthood did ensew, / Seeking aduentures [...].
1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.ii - obsoletetransitiveTo follow (in time), to be subsequent to.First known use 15th–17th c.
Oh how many changes are like to ensue this reformation!
1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, Essays, III.11Synonyms: come after
- intransitiveTo occur afterwards, as a result or effect.First known use 16th c.
Give three freshmen six bottles of wine, and hilarity will ensue.
2 more examples
After ſo bad a beginning, whats like to inſue?
1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act INor, having married coach and bogie design successfully, does it follow that good riding will ensue, whatever the track carrying it—as the performance of B.R. standard coaches on flat-bottom, concrete-sleepered track bears witness.
1960 December, “Talking of Trains: The riding of B.R. coaches”, in Trains Illustrated, page 705
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo follow (in time), to be subsequent to.
More synonyms by meaning
verbissue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinīnsequere
- Englishensue
From Old French ensu-, stem of some conjugated forms of ensuivre (“follow close upon, come afterward”) (French ensuivre), from Latin īnsequere, from īnsequi (“to pursue, follow, follow after; come next”), from in- (“upon”) (see in-) + sequi (“follow”) (see sequel).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian последвам
- последвам (posledvam)to occur as consequence
Chinese Mandarin 接踵而來 /接踵而来
- 接踵而來 /接踵而来 (jiēzhǒngérlái)to occur as consequence
Czech následovat, vyplývat
- následovatto occur as consequence
- vyplývatto occur as consequence
- plynoutto occur as consequence
Danish følge
- følgeto occur as consequence
Dutch erop volgen, daarop volgen
- erop volgento occur as consequence
- daarop volgento occur as consequence
Esperanto rezulti, sekvi
- rezultito occur as consequence
- sekvito occur as consequence
Finnish seurata, olla seurauksena
- seuratato occur as consequence
- olla seurauksenato occur as consequence
French résulter, découler
- résulterto occur as consequence
- découlerto occur as consequence
German folgen, ansetzen
- folgento occur as consequence
- ansetzento occur as consequence
- erfolgento occur as consequence
- nachfolgento occur as consequence
- resultierento occur as consequence
- sich ergebento occur as consequence
- sich einstellento occur as consequence
- eintretento occur as consequence
Greek επακολουθώ
- επακολουθώ (epakolouthó)to occur as consequence
Hungarian következik, származik
- következikto occur as consequence
- származikto occur as consequence
- eredto occur as consequence
Italian seguire, conseguire
- seguireto occur as consequence
- conseguireto occur as consequence
Japanese 続く
- 続く (tsuzuku)to occur as consequence
Norwegian Bokmål etterfølge
- etterfølgeto occur as consequence
Polish wynikać, wyniknąć
- wynikaćto occur as consequence
- wyniknąćto occur as consequence
- następowaćto occur as consequence
- nastąpićto occur as consequence
Portuguese resultar, seguir-se
- resultarto occur as consequence
- seguir-seto occur as consequence
Russian сле́довать
- сле́довать (slédovatʹ)to occur as consequence
Spanish seguirse, resultar
- seguirseto occur as consequence
- resultarto occur as consequence
- sobrevenirto occur as consequence
- avenirto occur as consequence
- advenirto occur as consequence
- ocurrir después deto occur as consequence
- acontecerto occur as consequence
- acaecerto occur as consequence
- subseguirto occur as consequence
- desatarseto occur as consequence
Swedish bli följden
- bli följdento occur as consequence
Turkish ardından gelmek, doğmak
- ardından gelmekto occur as consequence
- doğmakto occur as consequence
- izlemekto occur as consequence
- sonradan gelmekto occur as consequence
- sonucu olmakto occur as consequence
- takip etmekto occur as consequence
Vietnamese theo sau
- theo sauto occur as consequence
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ensue
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
ensue. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ensue
“ensue.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ensue. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ensue,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ensue.
Source: ensue on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.