What Does "In Queue" Mean?
Release time：2023-06-16 16:29:18 oRead0
Section 1 of 4:
What does “in queue” mean?
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“In queue” refers to a physical line of people or cars in British English. “Queue” is a British synonym for the word “line.” Rather than saying “I’ll be in line,” a person speaking UK English would say “I’ll be in the queue.” In casual conversation, it usually refers to a line that someone has to wait in.
- “Would you mind holding my spot in the queue for me? I have to run to the bathroom.”
- “I’ve been in this queue for almost an hour.”
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“In queue” can refer to a digital waiting line in all kinds of English. If you’re buying tickets for a popular concert online, you and the other concert-goers might be put in a digital “queue” before getting access to the ticket sales page. You might also be put in a queue after logging in for a popular video game. Many streaming services also have a “queue” feature, which lets you put your must-watch shows and movies in a separate category/list.
- “I’ve been in queue for this League game for like 10 minutes now LOL”
- “Went to buy tickets for the big concert and my estimated queue time was 45 minutes…”
- “There are like 50 TV shows in my Netflix queue right now.”
- You might hear the word “queue” used with printers, too. If you’re printing something out at a popular printer, your document might be added to a queue of documents.
- Although “queue” is primarily a British word, it’s sometimes used in American English, too. For instance, Disney World sometimes has a “virtual queue” feature that let visitors virtually stand in line for a ride while they do a different activity at the park.
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Chat about a long line you’re in if you’re using British English. Maybe you got caught in a long grocery check-out line, or there were way more people at the bank than you thought there would be. You could say something like:
- “Ugh. I’ve been in the queue for so long!”
- “I’ve been in queue for almost 2 hours now…”
- American English speakers are more likely to say “waiting in line” rather than “waiting in queue,” but they’ll likely understand what you’re saying.
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Discuss a digital queue if you’re talking about something technological. “In queue” is more of a universal term in the digital world, so there’s a good chance that everyone will be on the same page if you use it in a technological conversation.
- “My paper’s in the printer queue right now.”
- “My favorite online shop is launching a new product, but they put us all in queue so the website wouldn’t crash.”
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“In queue” or “in the queue” is the proper form of the phrase. Whether it’s physical or digital, think of a queue like a line. Whether you’re waiting in person, in a car, or on a computer, you are in the line rather than on it. The same principle applies to the word “queue” as well.
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What Not to Say: “I’m on the drive-thru queue waiting for my food.”
What to Say: “I’m in the drive-thru queue waiting for my food.”
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What Not to Say: “I’m on the drive-thru queue waiting for my food.”
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No, a “cue” is a signal to start something, like a performance. The words “cue” and “queue” can be pretty difficult to tell apart sometimes—after all, they sound exactly the same! However, “cue” with a “C” is all about getting a signal to start something, while “queue” with a “Q” is a line for waiting.
- “The actor waited for his cue to go onstage.”
- “My sister waited in the queue for almost an hour.”