noun

cue

KYOO

noun

A signal or prompt that tells someone it is time to act.

"The actor waited for his cue to walk on stage."

"A green light is the cue to start walking."

A long tapered stick used to strike the ball in billiards, pool, or snooker.

"He chalked the tip of his cue before taking the shot."

verb

To give someone a signal to begin or continue an action.

"The director cued the band to start playing."

How to Use Cue

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA signal that tells someone when to act, or the stick used in pool/snooker.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "queue" (a waiting line) — they sound identical but mean very different things.

Easily confused with

queue →

Common pairings

take your cue right on cue pool cue

Word Forms

cued past tense, cued past tense, cues plural, cues plural, cues plural, Cues plural, cues singular, cues singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The actor waited for his _____ to walk on stage.

Etymology

From Middle English "cu," originally an abbreviation for the Latin word for "quarter" used to mark small purchases in account books; the theatrical sense grew from marking cues in scripts.

Synonyms

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cue up

Rhymes for cue

rue due sue hue Que yue Vue Xue blue true flue clue

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