The Meaning of Queue: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what the word queue means and how to use it in a sentence? This article will detail the various meanings of queue.

Your writing, at its best

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant

You may have heard the word queue used about a line for something. Did you know that there are other meanings to this word as well? T

his article will tell you all about the various meanings of the word queue, the origin of the word, example sentences containing the word queue, synonyms, translations, and antonyms. Let’s get started! 

What Does the Word Queue Mean?

Put simply, a queue is a line. This is usually a line of people, but you can have an orderly queue of people or a queue of vehicles. Do not confuse the word queue with the Spanish word qué or the word cue, a stick used in billiards.

According to Your Dictionary, a queue was also an 18th-century men’s hairstyle from Imperial China. This is a long braid of hair or ponytail running down the back of the neck or head. 

In computer science and information processing, a LIFO queue and FIFO queue are computing data structures to hold information in a computer system or operating system. Several programs use queues to access information in a predetermined order. 

With a LIFO queue, you can think of it as a stack of pancakes — the last in is the first out. With a FIFO queue, it is like a line for a rollercoaster. Something goes in on the front end and comes out the opposite end, in a first-in, first-out order. 

What is the Origin of Queue?

According to Dictionary, the word queue has been used in English since the 19th century and 20th century. This word comes from the French queue, a tail, stemming from the Middle French queu, queuue, quewe, and cueue

Queue comes from the Old French cue and coe, meaning a tail or penis. The Old French term itself comes from the Latin cauda, coda, or cōda.

How Can We Use Queue in a Sentence?

The word queue has numerous definitions and can therefore be used in different ways in sentences. It is useful to know how to determine the definition of the word queue based on the context of the sentence. 

Study these example sentences to learn how to use (and identify!) the word queue in a sentence:

We waited in the long queue to ride the rollercoaster, and as we reached the front of the queue, the ride shut down.

We were given an ordered list of tasks in order of relevance that we performed, as if each task was standing in a queue.

The newcomers were at the end of a waiting line. We were at the front of the queue and excited to meet the seal on Tuesday.

They implemented a FIFO queue for the queries in the database of different topics. The ordered array of items made the computer work quickly. All of the clicks led to almost instant electronic action.

What Are Translations of Queue?

Words that mean queue are not only used in the English language. Take a look at the below translations of queue from Nice Translator.

  • Dutch: wachtrij
  • Korean: 대기 줄
  • Catalan: cua
  • German: Warteschlange
  • Latvian: rinda
  • Chinese (PRC): 队列
  • French: file d’attente
  • Basque: ilara
  • Norwegian: kø
  • Hebrew: תוֹר
  • Romanian: coadă
  • Vietnamese: xếp hàng
  • Portuguese (Brazil): fila
  • Spanish: cola
  • Serbian: редак
  • Portuguese (Portugal): fila
  • Gujarati: કતાર
  • Kannada: ಕ್ಯೂ
  • Swedish: kö
  • Welsh: ciwied
  • Japanese: 列
  • Lithuanian: eilė
  • Finnish: jonottaa
  • Bengali: কিউ
  • Ukrainian: чергу
  • Urdu: قطار
  • Indonesian: antre
  • Greek: Ουρά
  • Slovenian: čakalna vrsta
  • Turkish: sıra
  • Tamil: வரிசை
  • Bulgarian: опашка
  • Danish: kø
  • Malayalam: വരി
  • Hungarian: sor
  • Slovak: front
  • Telugu: క్యూ
  • Icelandic: biðröð
  • Malay: giliran
  • Hindi: पंक्ति
  • Polish: kolejka
  • Swahili: foleni
  • Marathi: रांग
  • Estonian: järjekord
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 隊列
  • Thai: คิว
  • Russian: очередь
  • Arabic: طابور
  • Amharic: ወረፋ
  • Czech: fronta
  • Croatian: red
  • Italian: coda

What Are Synonyms of the Word Queue?

There are numerous words that have the same definition as the word queue or can be used in place of the word queue. Take a look at this list of synonyms of queue from Power Thesaurus

  • align
  • arrange
  • array
  • bank
  • braid
  • breadline
  • cauda
  • cavalcade
  • chain
  • column
  • columns
  • concatenation
  • consecution
  • convoy
  • cordon
  • course
  • crocodile
  • dress
  • echelon
  • fall in
  • fall into line
  • fall into rank
  • file
  • flap
  • form a line
  • form a queue
  • form lines
  • get in formation
  • get in line
  • get into columns
  • get into rows
  • lie up
  • line
  • line up
  • line-up
  • lined up
  • lines
  • lining up
  • order
  • pigtail
  • place
  • plait
  • ponytail
  • procession
  • progression
  • put in line
  • queue up
  • queued
  • queuing
  • range
  • rank
  • row
  • rows
  • sequence
  • series
  • single file
  • stand in a queue
  • stand in line
  • string
  • strings
  • succession
  • tail
  • tail end
  • tail-end
  • tailback
  • thread
  • tier
  • train
  • turn
  • twist
  • wait in line
  • waitlist
  • waiting line
  • waiting list

What Are Antonyms of the Word Queue?

Power Thesaurus also provides many opposites of queue.

  • agitate
  • be unable to lay hands on
  • bedlamize
  • break down
  • break the deck
  • break up
  • change the order
  • clutter
  • confound
  • confuse
  • demobilize
  • derange
  • destroy
  • disarrange
  • disarray
  • disband
  • discompose
  • dishevel
  • dislocate
  • disorder
  • disorganize
  • disperse
  • disrupt
  • dissolve
  • disturb
  • forget whereabouts of
  • jumble
  • jumble up
  • lose track of
  • make a shambles of
  • mess up
  • mislay
  • misplace
  • mix
  • mix up
  • muddle
  • muddle up
  • muss
  • perturb
  • put out of order
  • rummage
  • rumple
  • scatter
  • scramble
  • shuffle
  • throw into confusion
  • throw into disarray
  • throw into disorder
  • tousle
  • turn topsy-turvy
  • turn upside-down
  • unsettle
  • upset

Conclusion

The word queue is most often used to refer to a line for something and can also refer to a specific hairstyle or type of computer programming system.

Sources:

  1. Queue Meaning | Best 24 Definitions of Queue | Your Dictionary 
  2. Queue Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
  3. Queue synonyms – 374 Words and Phrases for Queue | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Queue antonyms – 24 Opposites of Queue | Power Thesaurus 
  5. Queue | Nice Translator