Meaning & use
place in queue
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Meanings
phrasecountable
the position someone or something has in a line of people or things waiting to be dealt with
Grammar: Used with a possessive or an article: 'my place in queue', 'a place in the queue'.
Patterns
- someone's place in queue
- a place in queue
- hold someone's place in queue
When you call the support line, they tell you your place in queue so you know how long the wait will be.
I checked my place in queue and saw that there were still twelve people ahead of me.
The website shows your place in queue while you wait for tickets to become available.
phrasecountablecomputing
a position in an ordered list of tasks or jobs that a computer will process one after another
Grammar: Common in computing contexts; often used with 'the' or a possessive.
Patterns
- the job's place in queue
- lose your place in queue
- change the place in queue
The printer assigns each document a place in queue, so the first one sent is printed first.
If the server restarts, your download may lose its place in queue and have to start again.
You can pay extra to move your place in queue and have your order processed sooner.
Common combinations
- hold someone's place in queue
- Can you hold my place in queue while I get a coffee?
- lose your place in queue
- If you refresh the page, you might lose your place in queue.
- check your place in queue
- I check my place in queue every few minutes to see if it has moved.
- move up in queue
- After the cancellation, everyone moved up one place in queue.
- first place in queue
- She was first place in queue and got the last ticket.
Synonyms and how they differ
- queue position
- More formal and often used in technical writing; 'place in queue' is more common in everyday speech and customer service.
- spot in line
- Used especially in American English for physical lines; 'place in queue' is more general and common for digital or phone queues.
Commonly confused: place in queue or place in line?
place in queue vs place in line
This means a physical position in a line of people; 'place in queue' is more often used for virtual or phone queues.
Practice
The automated phone system told me my ______ so I knew how long I would have to wait.
Choose one answer.
'Place in queue' is the fixed phrase used for your position in a waiting system, especially on the phone or online. 'Place in line' refers to a physical line of people, which does not fit a phone system. 'Place in order' and 'place in row' are not natural English phrases for this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “place in queue”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.