# queue

/ˈkju/ (US) · /kjˈuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/queue
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. a line of people

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

a line of people or vehicles waiting for something, where the person at the front is served first.

For teachers: a sequence of people, vehicles, or objects waiting to be attended to in order. While understood globally, the term is the standard designation in British and Commonwealth English.

- We had to wait in a long queue for two hours to get tickets for the concert.
- The queue for the exhibition snaked around the block, comprised of patient tourists and locals braving the drizzle for a glimpse of the masterpiece.

Usage: Commonly used with the verbs 'join', 'stand in', or 'jump'.

### 2. computing

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a list of data or tasks waiting to be processed by a computer.

For teachers: a data structure or list of operations maintained in a specific order, typically first-in, first-out (FIFO).

- Your document is in the print queue and will start printing soon.
- The server administrator cleared the mail queue after a configuration error caused thousands of outgoing messages to stall.

Usage: Often used as a countable noun in technical contexts.

### 3. historical hairstyle

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Formal

a hairstyle where the hair is worn in a long braid or ponytail at the back.

For teachers: a men's hairstyle consisting of a long braid at the back of the head, notably associated with the Manchu people and Imperial China.

- In the historical film, the soldiers all wore their hair in a long queue.
- The decree mandated that all male subjects adopt the queue as a visible sign of loyalty to the new dynasty.

### 5. to add to a list

verb · CEFR B2 · Technical

to put a task or item into a sequence to be dealt with later.

For teachers: to add an item or task to a processing sequence. This use is transitive and common in digital or technical environments.

- You can queue several songs so they play one after another.
- The system allows users to queue multiple downloads simultaneously, managing bandwidth by processing them one at a time.

## Examples

- There is a long queue at the supermarket checkout.
- The fans stood in a queue for three hours just to get a front-row seat at the concert.
- The printer queue is currently backed up with several large documents, so your report might take a few minutes to start processing.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.