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Glite Dictionary
to jump the queue

to jump the queue

1 4.8
Move ahead of people waiting in a line to skip your turn
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : saltarse la fila
  • She felt it was unfair when some people jumped the queue at the concert entrance.

So this may be like an eon away from you now, but am I right in thinking that you're working on how you can jump the queue with progress in life at the moment?

Examples

  • How dare he jump the queue and leave others waiting for so long?

  • You arrive at the place, and no one is standing in line acting awkward (like when you are 7th in line and your friend is 3rd, and you want to greet and have a conversation, but you don't want to lose your spot, or to talk across a bunch of people, and you don't want to ask someone to hold your spot, or to talk to your friend and think people will think you are trying to jump the queue); instead, people are lounging around, having conversations, window shopping, playing with dogs and small children.

    Blog text (13)

  • Is she trying to jump the queue?

    Occupation: Rainfall (2020)

  • - Why have I jumped the queue?

    Glorious 39 (2009)

  • Hey, Dennis, you just jumped the queue.

    Waking Ned (1998)

  • What we can't do is let them jump the queue.

    Made in Dagenham (2010)

  • How dare he jump the queue and strand her like this?

    Blog text (9)

  • So this may be like an eon away from you now, but am I right in thinking that you're working on how you can jump the queue with progress in life at the moment?

    Chris Williamson

  • Those who jump the queue often upset people who are patiently waiting their turn.

Synonyms

to cut in line
vsto jump the queue
  • US
8 3.8

Move ahead of people in a line without waiting for your turn

emphasizes that the action is unfair by skipping someone's rightful place
to push in
vsto jump the queue
  • UK
5 5.6

To join a line or enter a place without waiting your turn

focuses on unfairly skipping ahead rather than on rudeness or disruption
to jip the line
vsto jump the queue
  • Informal
9.9

To cut in line without taking your turn

frames it as unfair skipping rather than deliberate cheating

Antonyms

in line
261 1.1

Standing one behind another waiting to get something

How Unfair

to barge in
  • Informal
59 5.5
to jump the queue
  • UK
1 4.8

Surface Forms

jump the queue infinitive
jumped the queue past
jumped the queue past participle
jumping the queue present participle
jumps the queue third person singular

Morphology

jump + the + queue

The verb 'jump' can mean 'to skip or bypass' and 'queue' clearly means a line of people, so the sense 'to move ahead of others in line' is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional pattern (compare 'cut in line') is cross-linguistically common and uses a simple verb + noun structure, so a B1 learner who knows the words would understand it; 'the' is just a determiner.

Etymology

Jump the queue paints a simple picture: someone literally jumping over a queue, a line of people waiting, to reach the front. That's why it means 'to move ahead of others waiting in line' or 'to skip your turn'.