Meaning & use
cue
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A signal that tells a performer or other person when to begin speaking or doing something.
Grammar: Countable and often used with on: on cue, take a cue.
Patterns
- on cue
- miss your cue
- take your cue from someone
The actor missed his cue and walked on late.
When the lights dimmed, the band took the cue and began to play.
She waited for her cue before speaking.
nouncountable
A hint or sign that shows how to behave or what is about to happen.
Grammar: Often found in take a cue from someone.
Patterns
- take a cue from someone
- a cue to do something
Shy children often take their cue from the adults around them.
The rising smoke was a cue that something was wrong.
Body language gives cues about how someone feels.
nouncountable
A long, thin stick used to hit the ball in games such as pool, billiards and snooker.
Grammar: A countable noun: a cue stick, a pool cue.
Patterns
- a pool cue
- chalk your cue
He chalked his cue before the shot.
She leaned over the table with her cue.
The cue slipped and missed the ball.
verbtransitive
To give a signal to someone to start doing or saying something.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually a person or sound: cue the music.
Patterns
- cue someone
- cue something up
The director cued the actors to enter.
Cue the music when the curtain rises.
She cued the next song.
Word forms
| plural | cues |
|---|---|
| third person singular | cues |
| past tense | cued |
| past participle | cued |
| -ing form | cuing |
Common combinations
- on cue
- The thunder arrived right on cue.
- miss a cue
- The actor missed a cue.
- take a cue from
- Take a cue from the experts and plan ahead.
- visual cue
- A visual cue helped the child remember.
- cue ball
- The cue ball rolled into the corner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- signal
- Signal is general, whereas cue is often tied to a performance or timing.
- prompt
- A prompt is a reminder or push to act, especially in speech or computer use.
- hint
- A hint is a subtle clue about something hidden, not a signal to start.
- reminder
- A reminder makes you remember something, whereas a cue triggers action at a moment.
Word family
Commonly confused: cue or queue?
cue vs queue
A queue is a line of waiting people, and it sounds the same as cue.
Practice
Just as the speaker mentioned the weather, the rain started ___.
Choose one answer.
On cue is the fixed phrase meaning at exactly the expected moment. Queue is a homophone for cue, but it is the wrong word for this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.