queue
[noun]
Synonyms: line, chain, file, sequence, series, string, train

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. queue¹ S3 /kjuː/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: 'tail', from Latin cauda, coda]

1. British English a line of people waiting to enter a building, buy something etc, or a line of vehicles waiting to move Synonym : line American English
be/stand/wait in a queue
We stood in a queue for half an hour.
You’ll have to join the queue.
queue of
a queue of people waiting for the bus
queue for
the queue for the toilets
queue to do something
There was a long queue to get into the cinema.
the front/head/back/end of a queue
At last we got to the front of the queue.

2. British English all the people who are waiting to have or get something:
You’ll have to join the housing queue.
queue for
the queue for kidney transplant operations
It is possible to jump the queue (=get something before people who have been waiting longer) if you are prepared to pay for your treatment.

3. technical a list of jobs that a computer has to do in a particular order:
the print queue

4. a number of telephone calls to a particular number that are waiting to be answered
⇒ the dole queue at dole¹(2)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. queue² verb (also queue up) [intransitive] British English

1. to form or join a line of people or vehicles waiting to do something or go somewhere Synonym : line up American English
queue for
Some of the people queuing for tickets had been there since dawn.
queue (up) to do something
We had to queue up for ages to get served.

2. if people are queuing up to do something, they all want to do it very much
queue up to do something
The school is one of the best, and parents are queuing up to send their children there.
queue up for something
Actresses are queuing up for the part.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

queue
noun
ADJ. endless, long | growing, lengthening | orderly Please form an orderly queue.
bus, checkout, cinema, etc. | bread, dinner, food the country's soaring prices and growing food queues
traffic | dole More unemployed people are joining the dole queue each week.
VERB + QUEUE form, line up in | join, stand in, wait in He had to join the queue for the toilets.
jump Don't jump the queue?take your turn like everyone else!
QUEUE + VERB form | build up, grow Long queues are building up on most of Britain's motorways.
move The queue's not moving at all.
stretch The queue stretched for more than a mile.
PREP. in a/the ~ the people in the queue
~ for the queue for tickets
~ of a long queue of shoppers
PHRASES the back/end of the queue, the front/head of the queue

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

queue
verb
ADV. patiently | up People queued up outside.
VERB + QUEUE have to
PREP. for We had to queue for tickets.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

queue

stand/wait in a queue
She stood in the queue at the checkout.
be in a queue
I've been in this queue for fifteen minutes.
form a queue
Other passengers for the train were forming a queue.
join a queue
He went back inside to join the queue for the toilets.
take your place in a queue (=join it)
I walked to the bus stop and took my place in the queue.
jump the queue (=go to the front rather than joining the end of a queue)
An argument developed when she tried to jump the queue.
a queue forms
A queue had formed outside the shop.
a queue stretches somewhere
The queue stretched the full length of the building.
long/big
Already a long queue had formed outside the concert hall
There was a big queue.
small
There was a small queue of people waiting to see the doctor.
an orderly queue (=with no bad behaviour or pushing in front of other people)
She told the children to form an orderly queue.
the front/head of the queue
He pushed his way to the front of the queue.
the back/end of the queue
Get to the back of the queue!
be first in a queue
I wanted to be first in the queue when the doors opened.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲