What does "cue" mean?
The name of the Latin script letter Q/q.
Cue
/ˈkjuː/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The name of the Latin script letter Q/q.
- Grammar: cue is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: activate, activation energy input, activation phrase, activator.
- Useful contrasts: amnesia, erase, forget.
- Usage evidence: Cue cards are used primarily on television to help the actors remember their lines.
How to use "cue"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cue" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cue" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cue" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cue" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cue" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "activate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cue", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The name of the Latin script letter Q/q.
""My name is Quinn," said Quinn. "Cue-you-eye-en-en.""
- 2 An action or event that is a signal for somebody to do something.
"This time Cudicini was left helpless when Natcho stepped up to expertly curl the ball into the top corner. That was the cue for further pressure from the Russian side and it took further Cudicini saves to keep the score down."
- 3 A straight tapering stick used to hit the balls in various games.
- 4 Acronym of clear and unmistakable error, a legal standard for appeal of a decision by a Board of Veterans Appeals in the United States. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 5 sports implement consisting of a tapering rod used to strike a cue ball in pool or billiards wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A small portion of bread or beer; the quantity bought with a farthing or half farthing and noted with a q (for Latin quadrāns (“farthing”)) in the buttery books. UK, obsolete
- 7 The last words of a play actor's speech, serving as an intimation for the next actor to speak; any word or words which serve to remind an actor to speak or to do something; a catchword.
"When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer."
- 8 The tail; the end of a thing; especially, a tail-like twist of hair worn at the back of the head; a queue. obsolete
"Fat, short, radiant, General Chattesworth—in full, artillery uniform—was there, smiling, and making little speeches to the ladies, and bowing stiffly from his hips upward—his great cue playing all the time up and down his back, and sometimes so near the ground when he stood erect and threw back his head, that Toole, seeing Juno eyeing the appendage rather viciously, thought it prudent to cut her speculations short with a smart kick."
- 9 a stimulus that provides information about what to do wordnet
- 10 A marker or signal that triggers something, such as the start of an audio recording.
- 11 evidence that helps to solve a problem wordnet
- 12 A hint or intimation.
"Give them [the servants] their cue to attend in two lines as he leaves the house."
- 13 an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech wordnet
- 14 Humour; temper of mind. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To give someone a cue signal.
"Cue the cameraman, and action!"
- 2 To take aim on the cue ball with the cue and hit it.
- 3 assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned wordnet
- 4 To spark or provoke. broadly
"These techniques can cue an open dialogue with your interviewer."
- 5 To form into a cue; to braid; to twist.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A small town and local government area (the Shire of Cue) in the Mid West region, Western Australia, named after Tom Cue. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Cue cards are used primarily on television to help the actors remember their lines."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cue"?
Common synonyms include: activate, activation energy input, activation phrase, activator, actor, advice.
How do you use "cue" in a sentence?
Cue cards are used primarily on television to help the actors remember their lines.
How do you pronounce "cue"?
Pronounced /ˈkjuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English cu (used for half a farthing, from q as an abbreviation for Latin quadrāns (“quarter of an as”)), from Latin cū, kū. Compare French ku.
Etymology 2
From earlier qu, abbreviation of Latin quandō (“when”), marked on actor's play copy where they were to begin.
Etymology 3
Variant of queue, from French queue (“tail”).