segue

imperative verb se·gue \ ˈse-(ˌ)gwā , ˈsā- \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Examples: segue in a Sentence

Editor's Note: segue vs segway

Definition of segue

1 : proceed to what follows without pause —used as a direction in music

2 : perform the music that follows like that which has preceded —used as a direction in music

Recent Examples of segue from the Web

Fretz, 25, was a political organizer who segued into a job as an operations manager for a top tech-talent recruiter.

— sam wood, Philly.com, "Fishtown firm's eggplant-shaped vibrator aims to remake the sex-toy industry," 29 May 2018
Moses Sumney kept everyone rapt during a soulful performance, which segued into Charlie Klarsfeld deejaying into the wee hours.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "An Italian Disco Fueled by Churro-Cannoli: Sally Singer Hosts Vogue’s Pre-Met Party," 6 May 2018
Epilogue As the credits rolled out, the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline appeared onscreen (see below), before segueing into a special tribute from CNN.

— bridget hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "CNN Pays Tribute to Anthony Bourdain by Airing Last Three Episodes of 'Parts Unknown'," 11 June 2018
So yes, Denk's recital at the Wallis Center for the Performing Arts Wednesday night — which began with Mozart, segued into early Prokofiev and continued with slices of late Beethoven and late Schubert — would seem to be not quite as out there.

— richard s. ginell, latimes.com, "Jeremy Denk plays with time, and the program, at the Wallis," 26 Apr. 2018
The sincere but uneven West Coast premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley segues from comedy to drama and is not entirely successful as either, though its dramatization of the corrosive events carries weight.

— marcus crowder, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Finks’: Son’s TheatreWorks play about his parents, blacklist feels uneven," 12 June 2018
The stadium development is going to create a gateway of sorts for tourists that segues into the neighborhood’s already existing shops and restaurants.

— maggie menderski, The Courier-Journal, "The LouCity soccer stadium isn't the only change coming to Butchertown," 31 May 2018
Students recorded Sunday's interviews on their own devices and will produce their podcasts with intros, segues and special effects.

— sara cardine, latimes.com, "Students interview community leaders, celebrities for podcasting class," 9 May 2018
Their performance segued the evening into a late night dance party.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Dapper Dan and More Shut Down Soho with Gucci," 6 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'segue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of segue

Italian, there follows, from seguire to follow, from Latin sequi — more at sue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1740

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff

segue

verb se·gue \ ˈse-(ˌ)gwā , ˈsā- \

Definition of segue

segued; segueing

intransitive verb

1 : to proceed without pause from one musical number or theme to another

2 : to make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene, or part to another

segued smoothly into the next story

See segue defined for English-language learners

Examples of segue in a Sentence

Then he quickly segues into the dangers of being too hard on cops who make an honest mistake. That turns out to be the moral of the story, the perils of politics intruding on the job. —Ted Conover, New York Times Book Review, 18 Apr. 2004
As the Klamath Mountains segue into the Coast Range, moist Pacific air creeps up the river valley in cottony mists. —Bruce Barcott, Mother Jones, May–June 2003
But for casual acquaintances, keep your response brief. Just say "I'm happy for him," and segue into another topic. —Kitty Flynn, Cosmopolitan, December 2000
She quickly segued to the next topic.
The band smoothly segued from one song to the next.
In the movie, a shot of the outside of the house segued neatly to a shot of the family inside the house.

Recent Examples of segue from the Web

The group and its lead singer segued to even greater fame after the switch to Epic engineered by their father.

— chris morris, chicagotribune.com, "Joe Jackson, patriarch of America's most famous musical clan, father of Michael Jackson, dead at 89," 27 June 2018
Whether the weather cooperates or stays stubbornly cold, Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Ave.) is always warm and welcoming, perfect for segueing into spring (if only in your mind!).

— adam lukach, RedEye Chicago, "5 things to do this weekend in Chicago," 12 Apr. 2018
Epilogue As the credits rolled out, the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline appeared onscreen (see below), before segueing into a special tribute from CNN.

— bridget hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "CNN Pays Tribute to Anthony Bourdain by Airing Last Three Episodes of 'Parts Unknown'," 11 June 2018
Canton, who has held top posts at Warner Bros. and Columbia TriStar before seguing to the Canton Company and, now, Cinelou Films, is known for such efforts as the 300 franchise, Letters to Juliet, Mr. Church, Den of Thieves and the TV series Power.

— chris gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Producer Mark Canton to Be Honored by Arthritis Foundation," 17 Apr. 2018
In this mode, conservatives want to hear no counter-arguments, and before too long, if a classic authoritarian demagogue capitalizes on the fear, conservatism can segue so easily into an authoritarian cult.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Isn’t Merely Tolerating Torture — He’s Celebrating It," 6 Apr. 2018
The sincere but uneven West Coast premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley segues from comedy to drama and is not entirely successful as either, though its dramatization of the corrosive events carries weight.

— marcus crowder, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Finks’: Son’s TheatreWorks play about his parents, blacklist feels uneven," 12 June 2018
Annie is an artist who creates tableaux in miniature houses, which the camera lingers on, at one point segueing seamlessly into a scene of the real house.

— jason zinoman, New York Times, "Home Is Where the Horror Is," 7 June 2018
The stadium development is going to create a gateway of sorts for tourists that segues into the neighborhood’s already existing shops and restaurants.

— maggie menderski, The Courier-Journal, "The LouCity soccer stadium isn't the only change coming to Butchertown," 31 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of segue

see ¹segue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1913

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

segue

noun se·gue \ ˈse-(ˌ)gwā , ˈsā- \

Definition of segue

: a transition made without pause or interruption : the act or an instance of segueing (see ²segue)

Examples of segue in a Sentence

The evening news continued, a fast segue into a promo for that night's showcase program, an inquiry into the sources of the civic genius of Bonaparte … —Ward Just, Forgetfulness, (2006) 2007
Making a smooth segue into foreign policy, he offered a nuanced assessment of Russia's acting President Vladimir Putin as "showing signs of pragmatism," but added, correctly, that "anyone who tells you they have Putin figured out is blowing smoke." —James Carney, Time, 21 Feb. 2000

Recent Examples of segue from the Web

Shorty's unique bounce shares the segue with City Girls and Drizzy.

— michael saponara, Billboard, "Decoding All of Drake's References on 'In My Feelings'," 13 July 2018
The Ford vs Ferrari movie is rare segue into movies for Balfe, whose last big-screen outing was Jodie Foster and George Clooney’s Money Monster.

— borys kit, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Outlander' Star Caitriona Balfe, 'Quiet Place' Breakout Noah Jupe Join Ford vs. Ferrari Movie (Exclusive)," 23 May 2018
Still in mourning, Denis seemed incapable of avoiding the topic, turning to it in many of our conversations, with little or no segue.

— alice gregory, The New Yorker, "The Fearless Cinema of Claire Denis," 19 May 2018
This provides a great segue into the next topic- Reserervoir High students that represented their high school at the Maryland National History Day competition.

— chuck gait, Howard County Times, "Teachers in county recognized for board certification [Highland/Fulton]," 17 May 2018
The Pentagon project was a lucrative segue to other projects for Stidham to tackle.

— julie gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Detours in life lead to construction success," 8 May 2018
Talk about bisexual stereotypes and segue into threesomes to gauge their interest and history.

— anna pulley, RedEye Chicago, "Ask Anna: All the bisexual questions," 29 May 2017
Her segue to the big screen, with roles in movies like Paper Towns, Suicide Squad, and the upcoming Life in a Year.

— sue williamson, Teen Vogue, "Cara Delevingne's Evolution and Best Red Carpet Beauty Moments," 4 May 2018
The accent that left her embarrassed and headed home in tears some days, however, also led her to compete in speech and debate in school, paving the way for a segue into high school drama.

— sandra gonzalez, CNN, "Premium cable's first Latina showrunner is killing the norm with 'Vida'," 3 May 2018

segue vs segway

Segue is occasionally found spelled segway, even in edited text. There are two likely reasons for this:

The familiar suffix –way (as seen in driveway and runway) seems to agree with the notion of a segue as a "path" along which something transitions;
The existence of the homophone Segway as a trade name for an American company that produces electric transportation devices.

The standard spelling segue comes from the use of the word's Italian root as a direction in music, indicating a transition without interruption.