cue

[kyoo]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

anything that excites to action; stimulus.

a hint; intimation; guiding suggestion.

the part a person is to play; a prescribed or necessary course of action.

a sensory signal used to identify experiences, facilitate memory, or organize responses.

Archaic. frame of mind; mood.

verb (used with object), cued, cu·ing.

to provide with a cue or indication; give a cue to; prompt: Will you cue me on my lines?

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.

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

Idioms

cue (someone) in, Informal. to inform; give instructions, information, news, etc., to: Cue him in on the plans for the dance.

miss a cue,

to fail to respond to a cue.
Informal.to miss the point: You could tell by his expression that he had missed a cue.

Origin of cue

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

Can be confusedcue Kew queue

Synonyms for cue

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cue ON THESAURUS.COM

1. signal. 3. sign, clue, key, tip, inkling.

cue

[kyoo]

noun

a long, tapering rod, tipped with a soft leather pad, used to strike the ball in billiards, pool, etc.

a long, usually wooden stick with a concave head, used to propel the disks in shuffleboard.

a queue of hair.

a queue or file, as of persons awaiting their turn.

verb (used with object), cued, cu·ing.

to tie into a queue.

to strike with a cue.

Origin of cue

1725–35; < French queue tail, Old French coue < Latin cōda, earlier cauda tail; cf. coward, queue

cue

[kyoo]

noun

the letter Q, q.

Origin of cue

1400–50; late Middle English cu; conventional adaptation in spelling of the letter name

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cue

hint, suggestion, clue, tip-off, prompt, intimation, lead, nod, inkling, idea, sign, catchword, innuendo, job, warning, indication, key, reminder, prod, notion

Examples from the Web for cue

Contemporary Examples of cue

Cue heartbroken Galavant engorging himself on booze and mutton back home.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale
Melissa Leon
January 5, 2015
The blast was a stupefying white flash followed by a body-shaking howl, and it was the cue for a maelstrom of metallic shrieks.
Shocked by Ukraine Violence, NATO Prepares to Face Down Putin
Leo Cendrowicz
October 12, 2014
She did not weep on cue in public when Monteith died, or seek sympathy.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele?
Tim Teeman
October 9, 2014
Affleck, as if on cue, challenged Harris: “Are you the person who understands the officially codified doctrine of Islam?”
Bill Maher 1, Ben Affleck 0
Michael Tomasky
October 5, 2014
Cue a series of shots of these veteran actors dusting off their best revenge faces.
I Am The Hague! Sylvester Stallone's 'Expendable' Wet Dream
Amy Zimmerman
August 18, 2014

Historical Examples of cue

Provost heard my "cue" on the stage, and pushed me gently forward.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
She left things as they were, taking her cue from the boy in despite of her desire.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens
Simonne gives the cue: 'Here are the guests,' and I come in.
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola
Stephen, taking his cue from his sister, was morose and silent, also.
Cap'n Warren's Wards
Joseph C. Lincoln
Even M. Binet appeared to be waiting for a cue from Scaramouche.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for cue

cue

noun

(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
on cueat the right moment

a signal or reminder to do something

psychol the part of any sensory pattern that is identified as the signal for a response

the part, function, or action assigned to or expected of a person

verb cues, cueing or cued

(tr) to give a cue or cues to (an actor)

(usually foll by in or into) to signal (to something or somebody) at a specific moment in a musical or dramatic performanceto cue in a flourish of trumpets

(tr) to give information or a reminder to (someone)

(intr) to signal the commencement of filming, as with the word "Action!"

Word Origin for cue

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

cue

noun

billiards snooker a long tapered shaft with a leather tip, used to drive the balls

hair caught at the back forming a tail or braid

US a variant spelling of queue

verb cues, cueing or cued

to drive (a ball) with a cue

(tr) to twist or tie (the hair) into a cue

Word Origin for cue

C18: variant 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

Word Origin and History for cue

n.1

"stage direction," 1550s, from Q, which was used 16c., 17c. in stage plays to indicate actors' entrances, probably as an abbreviation of Latin quando "when" (see quandary) or a similar Latin adverb. Shakespeare has it as both Q and cue.

n.2

"billiard stick," 1749, variant of queue (n.). Cue ball first recorded 1881.

1928, from cue (n.1). Related: Cued, cueing.