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

And if SpaceX eventually does put data centers into space, Google could lead the queue of customers looking to use them.

From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026

Many who spoke to The Times said deciding between the more than a dozen lines to enter the theme park came down to a simple calculation: which queue had the fewest people.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

"When it comes to accessing certain services, you'll find maybe there's a queue and you've got some black Zambians, you've got some Indians and you've got a few white people there," Muleba says.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Day and night, drivers queue for hours for the chance to refill fuel tanks, as import-dependent Bangladesh grapples with shortages due to the Middle East war.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

The queue moved at a snail’s pace; I struck up a conversation with an unemployed man in a dark suit.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane