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 cues

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 cues

Contemporary Examples of cues

Television and film are enormously influential in our culture, particularly for the cues they send about health and sexuality.
Planned Parenthood: Why NBC's Abortion Ad Snafu Matters
Eric Ferrero
June 25, 2014
Jay Z should perhaps take some cues from his wife, Beyoncé, who has just done the exact opposite with great éclat.
He’s A Businessman, Man: Jay Z’s Pursuit of Profit and Why We Don’t Trust Him
Rawiya Kameir
January 10, 2014
On Friday morning, take some cues from around the world—if you can stomach it.
The Wildest Hangover Cures From Around the World
Nina Strochlic
November 29, 2013
Taking your cues from Koons is like singing inside a balloon.
From Lady Gaga To Jay-Z, “Serious” Art Is Ruining Pop Music
James Poulos
November 24, 2013
Instead, they pay attention to signals and cues about what matters most to a president.
Be More Like Teddy
Reihan Salam
August 26, 2009

Historical Examples of cues

I knew nothing of all this, and wondered who was to give me the cues for Agns.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
I looked round for my partner who was to give me my cues, and together we made our entry.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
A dozen cues stood upright in a military position on a stand.
Love at Paddington
W. Pett Ridge
But, while we have time, tell me my cues, for I share your opinion of the Duke of Alva.
The Ghost Breaker
Charles Goddard
Cues had to be given him to distinguish this among his crowded memories.
The Goose Man
Jacob Wassermann

British Dictionary definitions for cues

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 cues

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.

cue

n.2

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

cue

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