cue Hear it!

cue1 definition

cue (kyo̵̅o̅)

noun

  1. a bit of dialogue, action, or music that is a signal for an actor's entrance or speech, or for the working of curtains, lights, sound effects, etc.
  2. Music a gesture or written device used to signal the entry of one or more instrumentalists or vocalists
  3. anything serving as a signal to do something
  4. an indirect suggestion; hint
  5. Now Rare
    1. the role that one is assigned to play
    2. a necessary course of action
  6. Archaic frame of mind; mood; temperament
  7. Psychol. a secondary stimulus that guides behavior, often without entering consciousness

Etymology: < q, Q, used in plays in 16th & 17th c. to indicate actors' entrances; prob. abbrev. of some L word (as quando, when, qualis, in what manner)

transitive verb cued, cuing cu′·ing or cueing cue′·ing

to give a cue to
cue Idioms

cue in

to add (dialogue, music, etc.) at a particular point in a script
cue2 definition

cue (kyo̵̅o̅)

noun

  1. queue ()
  2. a long, tapering, tipped rod used in billiards and pool to strike the cue ball
  3. a long, shovel-like stick used in shuffleboard to push the disks

Etymology: var. of queue

transitive verb cued, cuing cu′·ing or cueing cue′·ing

  1. to braid (hair)
  2. to strike (a cue ball) with a cue

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