cue

1
[ kyoo ]
/ kyu /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for cue

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

Origin of cue

1
1545–55; spelled name of the letter q as an abbreviation (found in acting scripts) of Latin quandō when

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cue

cue Kew queue

Words nearby cue

cudgerie, cudjo, cudlipp, cudweed, cudworth, cue, cue ball, cue bid, cue card, cue in, cue sheet

Definition for cues (2 of 3)

cue2
[ kyoo ]
/ kyu /

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

2
1725–35; < French queue tail, Old French coue < Latin cōda, earlier cauda tail; cf. coward, queue

Definition for cues (3 of 3)

cue3
[ kyoo ]
/ kyu /

noun

the letter Q, q.

Origin of cue

3
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. 2020

Words related to cues

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

Example sentences from the Web for cues

British Dictionary definitions for cues (1 of 2)

cue1
/ (kjuː) /

noun

verb cues, cueing or cued

Word Origin for cue

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

British Dictionary definitions for cues (2 of 2)

cue2
/ (kjuː) /

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