queue
Americannoun
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a braid of hair worn hanging down behind.
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a file or line, especially of people waiting their turn.
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Computers. a FIFO-organized sequence of items, as data, messages, jobs, or the like, waiting for action.
verb (used with or without object)
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to form in a line while waiting (often followed byup ).
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Computers. to arrange (data, jobs, messages, etc.) into a queue.
noun
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a line of people, vehicles, etc, waiting for something
a queue at the theatre
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computing a list in which entries are deleted from one end and inserted at the other
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a pigtail
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See queue-jump
verb
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to form or remain in a line while waiting
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computing to arrange (a number of programs) in a predetermined order for accessing by a computer
Other Word Forms
- queuer noun
Etymology
Origin of queue
First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French, from Latin cauda, cōda “tail”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"If you phoned, you'd be in a queue, and you could wait forever," she says.
From BBC
Within minutes of the attack, traffic-choked streets slowed and long queues formed outside bakeries and gas stations.
From Barron's
Since Friday night, long queues have formed at petrol stations, and many residents of the capital, Tehran, have begun leaving the city for the north, near the Caspian Sea, which they believe is safer.
From BBC
"It was chaotic back in the day, you'd be queued out the door," he recalls.
From BBC
That means that if Brewdog is sold, TSG is first in the queue to get back its investment plus any return owed, possibly leaving little or nothing for small investors.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
