【Follow】 ,  【succeed】 ,  【ensue】 ,  【supervene】  mean to come after someone or, more often, something. Although all of these verbs occur as transitives and intransitives,  【ensue】  and  【supervene】  are more commonly intransitive verbs.

【Follow】  is the general term and may imply a coming after in time, in sequence, in pursuit (see  【FOLLOW】 2 ), in logic, or in understanding.

【Succeed】 commonly implies an order (as one determined by descent, inheritance, election, or rank) by which one person or thing comes after another.

【Succeed】 is often used when the idea of a fixed order is lost, but it still usually retains the idea of taking the place of someone or something.

【Ensue】 usually implies some logical connection or the operation of some such principle of sequence as that of necessity.

【Supervene】 suggests a following by something added or conjoined and often unforeseen or unpredictable.