que
n. countablen. a line of people or vehicles waiting for something. You join one when you are waiting to buy tickets or enter a building.
n. a sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed. Refers to the physical line or the abstract list of tasks in computing.
Borrowed both from Hokkien 郭 (Keh) and Catalan Qué. Doublet of Quek, Guo, and Kwok.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly takes the prepositions 'in' or 'at'; in British English, it is frequently used as both a noun and a verb.
I am waiting in a line (UK context)I am waiting in a queueWhile 'line' is standard in American English, 'queue' is the preferred term in British English for people waiting in order.
- Nounque
- Nounquebec
Last updated May 2, 2026