segue

1 of 3

imperative verb

se·​gue ˈse-(ˌ)gwā How to pronounce segue (audio)
ˈsā-
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

2 of 3

verb

se·​gue ˈse-(ˌ)gwā How to pronounce segue (audio)
ˈsā-
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

segue

3 of 3

noun

se·​gue ˈse-(ˌ)gwā How to pronounce segue (audio)
ˈsā-
: a transition made without pause or interruption : the act or an instance of segueing (see segue entry 2)

Did you know?

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; and 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
Doing anything else with his latest set, which will premiere on Netflix April 9, felt disingenuous to Brennan, who broke out as the co-creator of Chappelle’s Show in the early ’00s and has segued, more recently, from comic whisperer to comic star. Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 The tribute then segued into Phil Collins’ 1981 hit, with the camera panning to Barker on drums. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2024 Her apology segues us into J-Lo’s triumphant title track. Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Before Ralph could answer, Goldberg segued into a highlight of Ralph's charitable work, which made Ralph cry even more. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2024 After breaking out in The White Lotus, Hechinger has segued to blockbuster fare and next appears in Gladiator 2 and Kraven the Hunter. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2024 That would be the way to segue into doing more director work and being in front of the camera less. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2024 As 2023 segued into 2024, Bravado, D’Amore, and their son headed to the Caribbean for a recharge and a chance to reconnect with family and heritage. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2024 Roughly a year later, the director is in Toronto launching his timely drama that will now segue to San Sebastian and other European fests. Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 Sep. 2023
Verb
Comer wore her smoky eye on the red carpet, but happily for the rest of us, the look is the perfect way to segue from the office to after-dark activities. Georgia Day, Vogue, 7 Nov. 2023 Her apology segues us into J-Lo’s triumphant title track. Anne Branigin, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 After breaking out in The White Lotus, Hechinger has segued to blockbuster fare and next appears in Gladiator 2 and Kraven the Hunter. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2024 Depp segued into a specific type of character acting around this time, taking on projects that were more focused on baroque costumes than compelling scripts. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2023 Before Ralph could answer, Goldberg segued into a highlight of Ralph's charitable work, which made Ralph cry even more. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2024 The final question of the Q&A was directed at newcomer O’Brian who segued to acting (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Mandalorian) after competing as a professional bodybuilder. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024 As 2023 segued into 2024, Bravado, D’Amore, and their son headed to the Caribbean for a recharge and a chance to reconnect with family and heritage. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2024 That would be the way to segue into doing more director work and being in front of the camera less. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2024
Noun
And this point became more plain as the years passed, the former Helium frontwoman’s confidence blossomed, and projects and genre segues and LPs came and went. Raymond Cummings, SPIN, 27 Feb. 2024 When scenes change, the stage goes dark and the actors can be seen changing costumes while Anne’s voice is heard over speakers, reading from her diary, filling in details and smoothing segues. Mitchel Benson, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024 One number takes place on a giant phonograph, another segues into a black-and-white fantasy that becomes, in effect, a movie musical within a movie musical. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 23 Dec. 2023 The film segues into joyful bursts of song, choreography and moments of levity, as the Broadway musical did. Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2023 Included in these recordings are tape segues, onstage banter, and experimental renditions of old Sonic Youth songs fans know and love. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 5 Dec. 2023 Now, your period of introspection segues into movement. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Nov. 2023 That’s a great segue to talk about the writing of this show, particularly amid the ongoing writers strike. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023 The stripes are reminiscent of a candy cane, perfect for winter, but the vibrant pink and red make for an easy segue to spring and summer. Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 27 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'segue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Imperative verb, Verb, and Noun

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

First Known Use

Imperative Verb

circa 1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of segue was circa 1740

Dictionary Entries Near segue

Cite this Entry

“Segue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/segue. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!