qui vive
who goes there? (used as a sentry's challenge)
Idioms about qui vive
on the qui vive, on the alert; watchful: Special guards were on the qui vive for trespassers.
Origin of qui vive
1Words Nearby qui vive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use qui vive in a sentence
The girls crowded into Assembly that morning, all on the qui vive to hear what the principal would have to say.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. MorrisonOne knows no peace, but lives ever on the qui vive, with one eye and ear to the keyhole, so to speak.'
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence | Eugne SueNo one has yet enjoyed any spiteful fun at Mrs. Depew's expense though many were on the qui vive for entertainment.
The Onlooker, Volume 1, Part 2 | VariousThe wax candles in the chandeliers burned brilliantly, and we were all on the qui vive to know what was coming.
My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands | George Francis TrainThe Boches, on the qui vive, kept the night luminous with rockets and drooping flares.
The Wasted Generation | Owen Johnson
British Dictionary definitions for qui vive
/ (ˌkiː ˈviːv) /
on the qui vive on the alert; attentive
Origin of qui vive
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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