What does cued mean?
Cued is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'cue', which means to give someone a signal to act — typically in theatre, film, broadcasting, or live performance — or to prepare something, especially recorded media, so it can begin at precisely the right moment. A director might have cued the lighting change; a radio host may have cued a clip before playing it on air. The word also extends into everyday conversation, as in being 'cued in' to information one needs to know. Its connotations centre on timing and coordination rather than authority: to be cued is to be prompted, not commanded. Because its spelling closely resembles 'queued' — which refers to lining things up in sequence — the two words are frequently confused despite having distinct meanings. Derived ultimately from French via the notion of a 'tail' or end point that signals what comes next, cued remains indispensable vocabulary for anyone working in production, performance, or media.
verbPast tense and past participle of the verb 'cue': to give a signal or prompt to someone to do something, or to ready something (such as audio or video) for use at the right moment.
- To signal or prompt a person to begin an action, especially in performance, broadcasting, or conversation.
- To prepare or make something ready for immediate use, especially media such as music, video, or a recording.
"The stage manager cued the lights just as the actor delivered her final line."
"The conductor cued the strings for their dramatic entrance."
"She cued up the next track before the DJ booth went quiet."
Every flawless theatre performance you've ever seen hinged on dozens of invisible moments where someone was cued — and got it exactly right.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cued
The word derives from 'cue', which appeared in English in the 16th–17th century, originally meaning the concluding line or passage of an actor's speech that serves as the signal for another performer to enter or speak. It likely comes from French 'queue', meaning 'tail', which itself traces back to Latin 'cauda'. From this theatrical origin the sense broadened to any prompting signal and then to the act of preparing media for playback. Cognates sharing this root include 'queue' and musical terms like 'coda'.
Related word forms
How cued is actually used
In British English, the verb is often spelled 'cueing', while American usage frequently prefers 'cuing'; both are accepted. The word carries no strong connotation of formality — it appears equally in technical production contexts ('cued the tape') and everyday speech ('she cued me in').
Easily confused with cued
'Cued' means given a signal or made ready for action, while 'queued' means placed in a line or sequence waiting to be processed.