cue

[ kyoo ]

/ kyu /

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 for cue

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

SYNONYMS FOR cue

1 signal.

3 sign, clue, key, tip, inkling.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR cue ON THESAURUS.COM

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cue

cue Kew queue

Words nearby cue

cudgerie, cudjo, cudlipp, cudweed, cudworth, cue, cue ball, cue bid, cue card, cue in, cue sheet

British Dictionary definitions for cue in (1 of 2)

cue ¹

/ (kjuː) /

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 cue at 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 performance to 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

British Dictionary definitions for cue in (2 of 2)

cue ²

/ (kjuː) /

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

Idioms and Phrases with cue in

cue in

Give information or instructions, for example, She said she'd cue us in on their summer plans. This verbal use of the noun cue in the sense of “guiding suggestion” dates from the 1920s.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cue

noun

verb (used with object), cued, cu·ing.

Idioms for cue

Origin of cue

SYNONYMS FOR cue

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cue

Words nearby cue

British Dictionary definitions for cue in (1 of 2)

noun

verb cues, cueing or cued

Word Origin for cue

British Dictionary definitions for cue in (2 of 2)

noun

verb cues, cueing or cued

Word Origin for cue

Idioms and Phrases with cue in

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cue

noun

verb (used with object), cued, cu·ing.

Idioms for cue

Origin of cue

SYNONYMS FOR cue

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cue

Words nearby cue

Words related to cue in

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for cue in (1 of 2)

noun

verb cues, cueing or cued

Word Origin for cue

British Dictionary definitions for cue in (2 of 2)

noun

verb cues, cueing or cued

Word Origin for cue

Idioms and Phrases with cue in

British Dictionary definitions for cue in (1 of 2)