queue

American  

[kyoo] / kyu /

noun

1. a braid of hair worn hanging down behind.

2. a file or line, especially of people waiting their turn.

3. Computers. a FIFO-organized sequence of items, as data, messages, jobs, or the like, waiting for action.

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verb (used with or without object)

queued, queuing

1. to form in a line while waiting (often followed byup ).

2. Computers. to arrange (data, jobs, messages, etc.) into a queue.

queue British  

/ kjuː /

noun

1. a line of people, vehicles, etc, waiting for something

   a queue at the theatre

2. computing a list in which entries are deleted from one end and inserted at the other

3. a pigtail

4. See queue-jump

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verb

1. to form or remain in a line while waiting

2. computing to arrange (a number of programs) in a predetermined order for accessing by a computer

Other Word Forms

• queuer noun

Etymology

Origin of queue

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French, from Latin cauda, cōda “tail”

Example Sentences

Passionately defending cinema on the big screen and then waiting for the next suggested movie to segue into our queue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

"The train is faster and there's no need to wait in a queue."

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

At one point, travelers were being redirected across lines, instructed to bypass one queue for another, then stopped again.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026

More than 100 students were turned away on Thursday due to the queue being too long for all to be seen by staff before the end of the day.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Then she, Salim and I found the end of the ticket queue and joined it.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd