queue
queue — noun
1. a row formed by people or vehicles positioned one after another, each waiting fo
a row formed by people or vehicles positioned one after another, each waiting for their chance to do something such as buy a ticket, board a train, or enter a building.
A long queue of shoppers formed outside the department store before it opened.
queue of + people group
Rohan joined the queue at the ticket counter twenty minutes before the film started.
join the queue + for a purpose
The queue for the new café stretched around the corner of the street.
A short queue of people waited to board the bus at the central station.
Amani stood patiently in the queue, reading a book while she waited for her coffee.
- line
the standard American English term for a queue of people or vehicles
- row
emphasises people or things arranged side by side, not one behind another
- waiting list
an ordered list of people wanting a service, not a physical line
文法句型
queue of + people/vehicles
the queue for + noun
in a queue
用法筆記
Queue is the standard term in British English; American English uses line instead for people waiting. The computing sense (sense 2) is used in all varieties.
常見錯誤
2. a structured list of data items, tasks, or messages stored in a computer system,
a structured list of data items, tasks, or messages stored in a computer system, where each new item is added at the back and items are taken from the front for processing.
The printer queue had twelve documents waiting to be printed.
printer queue — common collocation
The rendering software added each new frame to the back of the video-processing queue.
added to the back of the queue — FIFO order
The office printer processed each document in the queue in the order they were sent.
Trang set up a data queue to handle incoming orders in the correct sequence.
The video file was next in the queue, so the conversion started a moment later.
文法句型
the + noun + queue
in a queue
add to the queue
用法筆記
In computing, queue follows FIFO (first in, first out) order. Distinguish from stack (noun sense 2 in computing), where the last item added is processed first.
常見錯誤
queue — verb
1. to stand or sit with others who are ahead of and behind you, each taking a turn
to stand or sit with others who are ahead of and behind you, each taking a turn in order, typically to buy something, go into a place, or receive a service.
We had to queue for nearly an hour to get into the art exhibition.
queue for + duration + to-infinitive
Film fans queued outside the cinema from early morning hoping to get tickets.
queue + place + purpose clause — typical real-world use
Lara queued patiently at the post office to send her package by express mail.
Fans queued outside the stadium for tickets all through the night.
Passengers queued at the check-in desk with their suitcases and passports ready.
- line up
more common in American English; often suggests an intentional arrangement rather than a passive wait
- wait in line
the standard American English equivalent, emphasising the act of waiting
- form a queue
describes the moment when people begin to arrange themselves in a line
文法句型
queue for + noun
queue to + infinitive
queue up
be queuing
用法筆記
Queue as a verb is most common in British English. American English typically uses line up or stand in line. The -ing form queuing (or queueing) is used in continuous tenses.
常見錯誤
2. to feel a strong desire to do something or to get a chance, especially when many
to feel a strong desire to do something or to get a chance, especially when many people want the same opportunity.
Many young designers are queuing to show their work at the fashion festival.
be queuing to + infinitive — expressing eagerness
Aylin is queuing to speak with the manager about the new internship position.
Several publishers are queuing to offer Yan a book deal after her novel won.
Top football clubs are queuing to sign the young player from the local team.
Graduate students are queuing to apply for the three research assistant positions.
- be eager to
covers individual desire without the crowd implication
- be lining up to
the American English equivalent; also suggests competition for a chance
- be queuing up to
emphasises the competitive eagerness even more strongly
文法句型
be queuing to + infinitive
be queuing up to + infinitive
be queuing for + noun
用法筆記
This sense is always used to describe a situation where multiple people or groups are competing for an opportunity. It is rarely used in the simple present (e.g. 'he queues to do it') — the progressive (is queuing / are queuing) is strongly preferred.
常見錯誤
3. to put pieces of data, tasks, or files into a series so that a computer or digit
to put pieces of data, tasks, or files into a series so that a computer or digital system can deal with them one after another in the order they were added.
The server queued all the PDF invoices for printing after the network came back online.
queue + noun + for + purpose — typical IT scenario
Andrew queued the video files before starting the rendering process on his computer.
You can queue up to ten songs at a time on this music streaming app.
Mei's laptop queued the photo-library backup to run overnight when she was asleep.
Eleni queued the monthly sales reports so the accounting system would process them in order.
- dequeue
to remove an item from the front of a queue for processing
文法句型
queue + noun
queue up + noun
have + noun + queued
用法筆記
Often used with the particle up: queue up documents, queue up episodes. This sense can also appear in the passive: 'The files were queued for printing.'