segue

imperative verb

se·gue | \ ˈse-(ˌ)gwā

, ˈsā-\

Definition of segue

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

segue

verb

se·gue | \ ˈse-(ˌ)gwā

, ˈsā-\

segued; segueing

Definition of segue (Entry 2 of 3)

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

segue

noun

se·gue | \ ˈse-(ˌ)gwā

, ˈsā-\

Definition of segue (Entry 3 of 3)

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

Segue vs Segway More Example Sentences Learn More about segue

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Segue vs Segway

Noun

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.

Examples of segue in a Sentence

Verb

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.

Noun

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 on the Web: Imperative verb

Such a call-out could have segued to a robust discussion of candidates’ diverse health-financing proposals. — Ann Mongoven, The Mercury News, "Opinion: Democratic debates show need for clear language on health care reform," 7 July 2019 Whether glowering with rage or segueing expertly from berating his staff to giving them a pep talk, Crowe's version of Ailes fills in the blanks of a script that is more detail-heavy than illuminating. — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, "Showtime's 'Loudest Voice' falls short by giving Roger Ailes too much of a bully pulpit," 28 June 2019 In the end, the startups get a chance to win a contract with the San Diego Airport Authority, which can segue into deals at other airports. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Sleeping pods and robots in San Diego airport? Leaders ask startups for more out-of-the-box ideas," 14 June 2019 In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the road named for the 18th-century revolutionary Toussaint L’Ouverture segues into the street named for King. — Wendi C. Thomas, National Geographic, "Where the Streets Have MLK's Name," 12 June 2019 Each song segues right into the next, the monotony of the bass pedal smoothing the transition. — Sally Helgesen, Harper's magazine, "Shadow Dancing," 10 June 2019 That set the stage for a struggle between the timber industry and conservationists that segued into the ecological wave that later swept the Pacific Northwest. — National Geographic, "A guide to Olympic National Park," 18 Apr. 2019 Trump started his day firing off exuberant tweets over the end of the special counsel investigation , segued to a back-slapping meeting with the Israeli prime minister and held a celebratory photo-op with the Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals. — Catherine Lucey, The Seattle Times, "Victory lap and accolades: Trump has, perhaps, best day ever," 26 Mar. 2019 Which is not to say that checking out Queens of the Stone Age and then seguing directly into 2017’s Villains would be a seamless affair -- but the seeds of QOTSA albums future were certainly sown in ’98. — Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, "Eight Less-Heard Debut Efforts From 1998's Rock Rookie Class -- And How They Stack Up Today," 31 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Despite the shift in climate, peach season still starts in May with clingstones, aptly named because their flesh sticks to the pit, and eventually segues into easy-to-eat freestones. — Kate Heddings, Washington Post, "How one couple made it cool to wait in line for 25-pound boxes of perfect summer peaches," 11 July 2019 Eventually, Anjuli changed into her second dress of the evening, another custom look by Prabal Gurung, as the crowd segued into party mode. — Alexandra Macon, Vogue, "The Bride Wore a Red Lehenga, then a Vivienne Westwood Gown at This Indian-English Wedding," 23 May 2019 In the end, the startups get a chance to win a contract with the San Diego Airport Authority, which can segue into deals at other airports. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Sleeping pods and robots in San Diego airport? Leaders ask startups for more out-of-the-box ideas," 14 June 2019 In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the road named for the 18th-century revolutionary Toussaint L’Ouverture segues into the street named for King. — Wendi C. Thomas, National Geographic, "Where the Streets Have MLK's Name," 12 June 2019 Each song segues right into the next, the monotony of the bass pedal smoothing the transition. — Sally Helgesen, Harper's magazine, "Shadow Dancing," 10 June 2019 Let’s segue from interior design to surface decoration, which is what Libertine is known for. — Vogue, "For Libertine’s Johnson Hartig, Home Is Where the Art Is," 26 Apr. 2019 Trump started his day firing off exuberant tweets over the end of the special counsel investigation , segued to a back-slapping meeting with the Israeli prime minister and held a celebratory photo-op with the Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals. — Catherine Lucey, The Seattle Times, "Victory lap and accolades: Trump has, perhaps, best day ever," 26 Mar. 2019 Ekroth had segued into sales by 2004 when online poker hit Finland and became his obsession. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "Rolf Ekroth, a Rising Finn, Scores Big With a Double Debut at Pitti Uomo," 10 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

With his recent confidence-boosting triumphs serving as a launching pad, Wood has a clear segue for success heading into his upperclassmen seasons at Xavier. — Luke Feliciano, Cincinnati.com, "At Tony Blom Metropolitan Championship, Xavier golfer's game on the upswing," 27 June 2019 Instead, the scavenger hunt for two school-age daughters turned into an impromptu history lesson on Watergate, with a segue into the mysteries of the rotary phone back at the table. — Alina Dizik, WSJ, "Fancy Restaurants Offer Fancy Baby Sitting to Attract Fancy Families," 26 June 2019 The buyout period ends as a segue to the start of free agency July 1. — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, "Torey Krug wants to remain a Bruin — at the right price," 22 June 2019 Cozy fireplaces and refreshing Pamplemousse spritz cocktails provided a delightful segue into the rest of the evening. — Jenna Adrian-diaz, Vogue, "Patti Smith, Keegan-Micheal Key, and Martha Stewart Joined Director Ron Howard for a Special Screening of Pavarotti," 29 May 2019 Eventually the ballet dancers, all oddly costumed by Linda Cho in casual clothes with paint-rag smudges, don hard tap shoes and toy with tap moves that begin in silence and segue into more Ellington. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, "‘ABT Women’s Movement’ Review: Creative Empowerment," 23 Oct. 2018 Back here with Eugene Wei, who just provided a nice segue to this part of the conversation. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Why ‘Star Wars’ is like a social network, and other insights from Eugene Wei on Recode Media," 13 July 2018 Start the Huntington Beach Independence Day with a pancake breakfast, then segue to running events for adults and kids. — April Orcutt, latimes.com, "Celebrate 4th of July with fun, fireworks, parades, pianos and pancakes," 24 June 2018 The best theory is that the instrument allows the performer to flip it over for easy segues from one tuning to another. — David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, "Bowerbird's 2-man music contraption is a hot ticket for 4 remaining Philly shows," 8 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.