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”

Explanation

A queue is a line of things, usually people. If you go to the store on a big sale day, there will probably be a long queue at the check-out. Queue comes from the Latin cauda, for "tail." Outside the United States it means a line of people or vehicles waiting their turn, so if your English friend talks about queuing up for the movies, that means getting in line for a ticket. We also use it in computing to mean an order of messages to be sent. In a big office, you send documents to the printer queue, and they're printed in the order they are sent.

Example Sentences

"Scott jumped the queue and went in third," said Chris Gray, the big Scottish lock.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

And they had not been in the sidewalk repair backlog queue for more than 120 days.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

Paul Gigot: Learning that the things that you believe, which you can believe as fervently as you can, and we all do queue to certain principles, but you get challenged.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Some cancer centers have implemented real‑time text alerts, queue tracking, and proactive communication from staff.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

“If you cut your queue, dressed and talked like other people?”

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck