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View synonyms for cue

cue

1

[ kyoo ]

noun

  1. anything said or done, on or off stage, that is followed by a specific line or action:

    An off-stage door slam was his cue to enter.

    Synonyms: signal

  2. anything that excites to action; stimulus.
  3. a hint; intimation; guiding suggestion.

    Synonyms: inkling, tip, key, hint, sign

  4. the part a person is to play; a prescribed or necessary course of action.
  5. a sensory signal used to identify experiences, facilitate memory, or organize responses.
  6. Archaic. frame of mind; mood.


verb (used with object)

, cued, cu·ing.
  1. to provide with a cue or indication; give a cue to; prompt:

    Will you cue me on my lines?

  2. to insert, or direct to come in, in a specific place in a musical or dramatic performance (usually followed by in or into ):

    to cue in a lighting effect.

  3. to search for and reach (a specific track on a recording) (sometimes followed by up ).

cue

2

[ kyoo ]

noun

  1. a long, tapering rod, tipped with a soft leather pad, used to strike the ball in billiards, pool, etc.
  2. a long, usually wooden stick with a concave head, used to propel the disks in shuffleboard.
  3. a queue or braid of hair worn behind the head.
  4. a queue or file, as of persons awaiting their turn.

verb (used with object)

, cued, cu·ing.
  1. to tie into a queue.
  2. to strike with a cue.

cue

3

[ kyoo ]

noun

  1. the letter Q, q.

cue

1

/ kjuː /

noun

    1. (in the theatre, films, music, etc) anything spoken or done that serves as a signal to an actor, musician, etc, to follow with specific lines or action
    2. at the right moment
  1. a signal or reminder to do something
  2. psychol the part of any sensory pattern that is identified as the signal for a response
  3. the part, function, or action assigned to or expected of a person
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. tr to give a cue or cues to (an actor)
  2. usually foll byin or into to signal (to something or somebody) at a specific moment in a musical or dramatic performance

    to cue in a flourish of trumpets

  3. tr to give information or a reminder to (someone)
  4. intr to signal the commencement of filming, as with the word "Action!"
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cue

2

/ kjuː /

noun

  1. billiards snooker a long tapered shaft with a leather tip, used to drive the balls
  2. hair caught at the back forming a tail or braid
  3. a variant spelling of queue
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to drive (a ball) with a cue
  2. tr to twist or tie (the hair) into a cue
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cue1

First recorded in 1545–55; spelled name of the letter q as an abbreviation (found in acting scripts) of Latin quandō “when”

Origin of cue2

First recorded in 1740–50; from French queue “tail,” Old French cöe, coue, from Latin cōda, popular form of cauda “tail”; coward, queue

Origin of cue3

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English cu; conventional adaptation in spelling of the letter name
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cue1

C16: probably from name of the letter q, used in an actor's script to represent Latin quando when

Origin of cue2

C18: variant of queue
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. cue (someone) in, Informal. to inform; give instructions, information, news, etc., to:

    Cue him in on the plans for the dance.

  2. miss a cue,
    1. to fail to respond to a cue.
    2. Informal. to miss the point:

      You could tell by his expression that he had missed a cue.

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Example Sentences

Cue heartbroken Galavant engorging himself on booze and mutton back home.

The blast was a stupefying white flash followed by a body-shaking howl, and it was the cue for a maelstrom of metallic shrieks.

She did not weep on cue in public when Monteith died, or seek sympathy.

Affleck, as if on cue, challenged Harris: “Are you the person who understands the officially codified doctrine of Islam?”

Cue a series of shots of these veteran actors dusting off their best revenge faces.

"This organized conspiracy on your part," the capstan gurgled, taking his cue from the mast.

Eliza, glancing at Miss Prall, took her cue and looked disdainful of the whole affair.

Next came Coronado, as happy as a disappointed burglar whose cue it is to congratulate the rescuing policeman.

He has quite a clerical look, and, if he hadn't, his voice would give the cue to his profession.

Others of the conspirators, however, took Fislar's bold cue and stoutly corroborated him.

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Related Words

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.

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