queue

²queue

verb \ˈkyü\

queuedqueu·ing or queue·ing

Definition of QUEUE

transitive verb

: to arrange or form in a queue (see ¹queue)

intransitive verb

: to line up or wait in a queue —often used with up

— queu·er noun

Examples of QUEUE

1. The crowd was queuing at the snack bar.
2. The World's Food Fair, Boston. October 1896. Admission: 25 cents. Huge crowds throng the Mechanics Hall convention center. Women queue up for free samples from 200 different vendors: cereals, gelatins, extracts, candy, and custards. —Christopher Kimball, Cook's Illustrated, January & February 2008
3. Nothing hacks off a national lawmaker more than a person who will not wait in line, unless that line is in front of an elevator at the U.S. Capitol, where Senators and Representatives use private elevators, lest they have to queue with their constituents. —Steve Rushin, Time, 10 Sept. 2007

Origin of QUEUE

(see ¹queue)

First Known Use: 1777