1
a
: a signal (such as a word, phrase, or bit of stage business) to a performer to begin a specific speech or action
That last line is your cue to exit the stage.
b
: something serving a comparable purpose : hint
I'll take that yawn as my cue to leave.
2
: a feature indicating the nature of something perceived
The expressions on people's faces give us visual cues about their feelings.
3
archaic
: the part one has to perform in or as if in a play
cued; cuing or cueing
1
: to give a cue to : prompt
cued the band to begin
2
: to insert into a continuous performance
cue in sound effects
1
a
: a leather-tipped tapering rod for striking the cue ball (as in billiards and pool)
b
: a long-handled instrument with a concave head for shoving disks in shuffleboard
2
cued; cuing or cueing
Synonyms
Noun (2)
Noun (3)
Examples of cue in a Sentence
Noun (2)
taking a cue from nature, scientists are developing safe and effective insecticides using insect hormones
Noun (3)
the cue to get tickets to the concert moved with agonizing slowness
Recent Examples on the Web
Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
At a precise cue — a sustained note — all the whales went silent and in unison lunged upward through the bait ball.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2025
Felicity Carter, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
So, cue the aerialists, contortionists, acrobats (two on roller-skates, and no wife has ever trusted a husband more), a sand artist, a speed juggler and a dude who surfs on an ever-growing stack of rolling cylinders.
—David Dickstein, Orange County Register, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cue 
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Noun
Novel and ambitious experiments with primates, dolphins and parrots proliferated, many of them documenting animals following specific cues and using words and phrases to communicate with their human trainers.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
At a precise cue — a sustained note — all the whales went silent and in unison lunged upward through the bait ball.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
Heta Cashmere Knit Sweater by The Row Founded in 2006 by Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, their brand is known for its timeless ready-to-wear and accessories, and so, cue this classic sweater.
—Felicity Carter, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
So, cue the aerialists, contortionists, acrobats (two on roller-skates, and no wife has ever trusted a husband more), a sand artist, a speed juggler and a dude who surfs on an ever-growing stack of rolling cylinders.
—David Dickstein, Orange County Register, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cue
Dictionary Entries Near cue
Cite this Entry
“Cue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cue. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cue
2 of 3 verb
cued; cuing
: to give a cue to
cue
3 of 3 noun1
: a tapering rod used in playing billiards or pool
Etymology
Noun
probably from q or qu, abbreviations for Latin quando "when," formerly used in actors' copies of scripts of plays
Noun
from French queue "tail, a line of people," from early French cue, coe "tail," from Latin cauda "tail" — related to coward, queue, coda see Word History at coward, queue
Medical Definition
cue
noun
: a minor stimulus acting as an indication of the nature of the perceived object or situation
foreshortened lines in the picture are cues to depth perception
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