Standard Lemma guide

ensue

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ɪnˈsjuː/
  • UK: /ɪnˈʃuː/
  • UK: /ɛnˈsjuː/
  • UK: /ɛnˈʃuː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, US: /ɪnˈsuː/
  • Australian: /enˈsjʉː/
  • rhymes with -uː
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 N S UW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To follow (a leader, inclination etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To follow (in time), to be subsequent to.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To occur afterwards, as a result or effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • Give three freshmen six bottles of wine, and hilarity will ensue.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • result in tragedy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: result

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: prove, turn out, turn up

Narrower terms: come, be due, flow from, follow, fall out, come after

History

Etymology

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).

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: последвам (posledvam) — to occur as consequence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 接踵而來 /接踵而来 (jiēzhǒngérlái) — to occur as consequence
  • Czech: následovat — to occur as consequence
  • Czech: vyplývat — to occur as consequence
  • Czech: plynout — to occur as consequence
  • Danish: følge — to occur as consequence
  • Dutch: erop volgen — to occur as consequence
  • Dutch: daarop volgen — to occur as consequence
  • Esperanto: rezulti — to occur as consequence
  • Esperanto: sekvi — to occur as consequence
  • Finnish: seurata — to occur as consequence
  • Finnish: olla seurauksena — to occur as consequence
  • French: résulter — to occur as consequence
  • French: découler — to occur as consequence
  • Georgian: გაყოლა (gaq̇ola) — to occur as consequence
  • German: folgen — to occur as consequence
  • German: ansetzen — to occur as consequence
  • German: erfolgen — to occur as consequence
  • German: nachfolgen — to occur as consequence
  • German: resultieren — to occur as consequence
  • German: sich ergeben — to occur as consequence
  • German: sich einstellen — to occur as consequence
  • German: eintreten — to occur as consequence
  • Greek: επακολουθώ (epakolouthó) — to occur as consequence
  • Hungarian: következik — to occur as consequence
  • Hungarian: származik — to occur as consequence
  • Hungarian: ered — to occur as consequence
  • Italian: seguire — to occur as consequence
  • Italian: conseguire — to occur as consequence
  • Japanese: 続く (tsuzuku) — to occur as consequence
  • Norwegian Bokmål: etterfølge — to occur as consequence
  • Polish: wynikać — to occur as consequence
  • Polish: wyniknąć — to occur as consequence
  • Polish: następować — to occur as consequence
  • Polish: nastąpić — to occur as consequence
  • Portuguese: resultar — to occur as consequence
  • Portuguese: seguir-se — to occur as consequence
  • Russian: сле́довать (slédovatʹ) — to occur as consequence
  • Serbo-Croatian: slijediti — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: seguirse — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: resultar — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: sobrevenir — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: avenir — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: advenir — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: ocurrir después de — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: acontecer — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: acaecer — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: subseguir — to occur as consequence
  • Spanish: desatarse — to occur as consequence
  • Swedish: bli följden — to occur as consequence
  • Turkish: ardından gelmek — to occur as consequence
  • Turkish: doğmak — to occur as consequence
  • Turkish: izlemek — to occur as consequence
  • Turkish: sonradan gelmek — to occur as consequence
  • Turkish: sonucu olmak — to occur as consequence
  • Turkish: takip etmek — to occur as consequence
  • Vietnamese: theo sau — to occur as consequence