segue

American  

[sey-gwey, seg-wey] / ˈseɪ gweɪ, ˈsɛg weɪ /

verb (used without object)

segued, segueing

1. to continue at once with the next musical section or composition (often used as a musical direction).

2. to perform in the manner of the preceding section (used as a musical direction).

3. to make a transition from one thing to another smoothly and without interruption.

   The conversation segued from travel anecdotes to food.

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noun

1. an uninterrupted transition made between one musical section or composition and another.

2. any smooth, uninterrupted transition from one thing to another.

segue British  

/ ˈsɛɡweɪ /

verb

1. (often foll by into) to proceed from one section or piece of music to another without a break

2. (imperative) play on without pause: a musical direction

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noun

1. the practice or an instance of playing music in this way

Etymology

Origin of segue

First recorded in 1850–55; from Italian: “(it) follows, (there) follows,” 3rd-person singular present of seguire “to follow,” ultimately from Latin sequī; see sue

Explanation

A segue is a smooth transition. When you segue in conversation, you change the topic so smoothly that people might not even notice. A good speaker knows how to segue: they can get from one topic to another so easily that you hardly notice the topic changed. Comedians have the same skill as they segue from one joke to another, and politicians also learn the art of the segue. So do teachers. This is also a term in music for moving from one part of a piece to another. Remember that segue does not sound quite how it looks: it's pronounced "SEG-way."

Example Sentences

Seeing this as the perfect segue, I told him I, too, was having a baby except I wasn’t keeping mine.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

On “Weekend Warrior,” Klapper might be talking about knee replacement surgery one minute, segue to Michelangelo’s rendering of the human form, and then insist that a sandwich is not a sandwich without peperoncini.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026

They segue to a holiday market full of happy European Union habitants.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

Sometimes, this fictional cachet can act as a segue into other careers.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2025

As the last scene faded and the segue music played, my heart started to thunder.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• continuation