cue

¹

[kyoo]

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms: signal

2. anything that excites to action; stimulus.

3. a hint; intimation; guiding suggestion.

   Synonyms: inkling, tip, key, hint, sign

4. the part a person is to play; a prescribed or necessary course of action.

5. a sensory signal used to identify experiences, facilitate memory, or organize responses.

6. Archaic.,  frame of mind; mood.

verb (used with object)

cued, cuing 

1. to provide with a cue or indication; give a cue to; prompt.

   Will you cue me on my lines?

2. to insert, or direct to come in, in a specific place in a musical or dramatic performance (usually followed by in orinto ).

   to cue in a lighting effect.

3. to search for and reach (a specific track on a recording) (sometimes followed byup ).

cue

²

[kyoo]

noun

1. a long, tapering rod, tipped with a soft leather pad, used to strike the ball in billiards, pool, etc.

2. a long, usually wooden stick with a concave head, used to propel the disks in shuffleboard.

3. a queue or braid of hair worn behind the head.

4. a queue or file, as of persons awaiting their turn.

verb (used with object)

cued, cuing 

1. to tie into a queue.

2. to strike with a cue.

cue

³

[kyoo]

noun

1. the letter Q, q.

cue

¹

/ kjuː /

noun

1. 1. (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

   2. at the right moment

2. a signal or reminder to do something

3. psychol the part of any sensory pattern that is identified as the signal for a response

4. the part, function, or action assigned to or expected of a person

verb

1. (tr) to give a cue or cues to (an actor)

2. to signal (to something or somebody) at a specific moment in a musical or dramatic performance

   to cue in a flourish of trumpets

3. (tr) to give information or a reminder to (someone)

4. (intr) to signal the commencement of filming, as with the word "Action!"

cue

²

/ kjuː /

noun

1. billiards snooker a long tapered shaft with a leather tip, used to drive the balls

2. hair caught at the back forming a tail or braid

3. a variant spelling of queue

verb

1. to drive (a ball) with a cue

2. (tr) to twist or tie (the hair) into a cue

Word History and Origins

Origin of cue¹

First recorded in 1545–55; spelled name of the letter q as an abbreviation (found in acting scripts) of Latin quandō “when”

Origin of cue²

First recorded in 1740–50; from French queue “tail,” Old French cöe, coue, from Latin cōda, popular form of cauda “tail”; coward, queue

Origin of cue³

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English cu; conventional adaptation in spelling of the letter name

Word History and Origins

Origin of cue¹

C16: probably from name of the letter q, used in an actor's script to represent Latin quando when

Origin of cue²

C18: variant of _queue

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. miss a cue,

   1. to fail to respond to a cue.

   2. Informal. to miss the point.

      You could tell by his expression that he had missed a cue.

2. cue (someone) in, to inform; give instructions, information, news, etc., to.

   Cue him in on the plans for the dance.

Example Sentences

We imagine ourselves influencing the story, but mostly we are participating in a prearranged rhythm, following cues we barely notice.

From Salon

At one point, Musk cued Cavanaugh with an awkward joke about how the work he’d found being done at the United States Institute of Peace was actually “the opposite of the title.”

From Salon

Gunn’s writing humanized every single character – even Vigilante, a psycho unable to comprehend simple human cues like sarcasm, but who nearly collapses into tears when he realizes he may have failed his friend and hero.

From Salon

Twice, Russell cues up the R&B classic “I’m Your Puppet,” which is once too many for my taste.

From Los Angeles Times

On cue, Sydney began looking up into the trees for squirrels.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clue 
• hint 
• suggestion 

When To Use

What does cue mean?

A cue is any planned action that triggers an actor’s response or line of dialogue in performance art, as in I’m so embarrassed that I missed my cue to walk on stage!A cue is more generally something that triggers an action, as in The teacher handing out the test was our cue to put our books away.A cue can also be a hint, I should have seen my mother’s angry face as my cue to apologize.To cue means to provide a hint or prompt for an action, as in The actors cued each other during rehearsal so they could memorize all the cues.To cue can also mean to insert or direct to come in, as in Cue the music, and raise the curtain!Example: Juan came in on cue but flubbed his line, so we had to reshoot the scene.