Clue
noun
A piece of information or evidence that helps you solve a problem.
The police were searching for clues.
verb
To tell or inform someone about something.
Nobody clued me in about the surprise party.
Usage tips
Informal
Colloquial
noun
A detail that guides you in solving a puzzle.
The crossword puzzle has a list of clues.
noun
In a play, a line of dialogue or an action which gives an indication to an actor about what should happen next.
He was waiting for his cue to go on stage.
Usage tips
Technical
noun
A piece of information or evidence that helps you solve a problem.
The police were searching for clues.
verb
To tell or inform someone about something.
Nobody clued me in about the surprise party.
Usage tips
Informal
Colloquial
noun
A detail that guides you in solving a puzzle.
The crossword puzzle has a list of clues.
noun
In a play, a line of dialogue or an action which gives an indication to an actor about what should happen next.
He was waiting for his cue to go on stage.
Usage tips
Technical
Definition 1 of 4
Pro Tip 1/3Mystery Context
Use 'clue' when discussing mysteries or things that are hard to understand without additional information.
Detectives look for clues to crack the case.
Pro Tip 2/3Solving Puzzles
'Clue' often refers to something that contributes to solving a puzzle or problem, like a jigsaw piece.
A hidden message was the clue to the treasure.
Pro Tip 3/3Examine Closely
To find a clue, you sometimes need to look closely and think carefully about the details.
Examining the room for clues, she noticed the misplaced book.
Pro Tip 1/3Mystery Context
Use 'clue' when discussing mysteries or things that are hard to understand without additional information.
Detectives look for clues to crack the case.
Pro Tip 2/3Solving Puzzles
'Clue' often refers to something that contributes to solving a puzzle or problem, like a jigsaw piece.
A hidden message was the clue to the treasure.
Pro Tip 3/3Examine Closely
To find a clue, you sometimes need to look closely and think carefully about the details.
Examining the room for clues, she noticed the misplaced book.
Pro Tip 1/3Mystery Context
Use 'clue' when discussing mysteries or things that are hard to understand without additional information.
Detectives look for clues to crack the case.
Pro Tip 2/3Solving Puzzles
'Clue' often refers to something that contributes to solving a puzzle or problem, like a jigsaw piece.
A hidden message was the clue to the treasure.
Pro Tip 3/3Examine Closely
To find a clue, you sometimes need to look closely and think carefully about the details.
Examining the room for clues, she noticed the misplaced book.
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Video examples
Do schools kill...
Nobody has a clue, despite all the expertise that's been on parade for the past four days, what the world will look like in five years' time. And yet, we're meant to be educating them for it. So the unpredictability, I think, is extraordinary. And the third part of this is that we've all agreed, nonetheless,
Video examples
How do animals...
Scientific experimentation, though controversial, gives us some clues. Tests on hermit crabs show that they'll leave an undesirable shell if they're zapped with electricity but stay if it's a good shell. And octopi that may originally curl up an injured arm to protect it
Video examples
The language of lying —...
are far less serious that these examples, and may even be harmless. But it's still worthwhile to be aware of telltale clues, like minimal self-references, negative language, simple explanations and convoluted phrasing. It just might help you avoid an overvalued stock,
Video examples
Debunking the myths of...
for experiencing anxiety based on irrational thoughts and finding it difficult to control their responses. So what exactly causes OCD? The frustrating answer is we don't really know. However, we have some important clues. OCD is considered a neurobiological disorder.
Video examples
Meet the tardigrade, the...
And by studying how tardigrades survive prolonged exposure to the vacuum of outer space, scientists can generate clues about the environmental limits of life and how to safeguard astronauts. In the process, tardigrades could even help us answer a critical
Video examples
Can you solve...
by devising a complex riddle involving this list of clues. Can you resist tackling a brain teaser written by one of the smartest people in history? Let's give it a shot. The world's rarest fish has been stolen from the city aquarium.
Video examples
Mohenjo Daro 101 PIPE...
after the city fell into ruin archeologists paid their first visit the ensuing decades of excavations have unearthed countless clues that tell the tale of mohenjo-daro but it still holds secrets for us to discover
Video examples
Walking in your truth as...
people that had no clue what people like myself were going through and so today I want you to know that when you see me I am NOT which engine to look like I'm just a courageous person who dares to be
Video examples
How did Polynesian...
Once navigators neared their destination, other clues, such as the flight patterns of birds, floating debris or vegetation, and types of fish in the area helped determine the proximity of land.
Video examples
Earth's Hidden Volcanos...
but it's now thought that vents like these could be the birthplace of all life on earth unlocking the secrets of earth's deep seas could provide clues to life elsewhere in the universe
Video examples
Do schools kill...
Nobody has a clue, despite all the expertise that's been on parade for the past four days, what the world will look like in five years' time. And yet, we're meant to be educating them for it. So the unpredictability, I think, is extraordinary. And the third part of this is that we've all agreed, nonetheless,
Video examples
How do animals...
Scientific experimentation, though controversial, gives us some clues. Tests on hermit crabs show that they'll leave an undesirable shell if they're zapped with electricity but stay if it's a good shell. And octopi that may originally curl up an injured arm to protect it
Video examples
The language of lying —...
are far less serious that these examples, and may even be harmless. But it's still worthwhile to be aware of telltale clues, like minimal self-references, negative language, simple explanations and convoluted phrasing. It just might help you avoid an overvalued stock,
Video examples
Debunking the myths of...
for experiencing anxiety based on irrational thoughts and finding it difficult to control their responses. So what exactly causes OCD? The frustrating answer is we don't really know. However, we have some important clues. OCD is considered a neurobiological disorder.
Video examples
Meet the tardigrade, the...
And by studying how tardigrades survive prolonged exposure to the vacuum of outer space, scientists can generate clues about the environmental limits of life and how to safeguard astronauts. In the process, tardigrades could even help us answer a critical
Video examples
Can you solve...
by devising a complex riddle involving this list of clues. Can you resist tackling a brain teaser written by one of the smartest people in history? Let's give it a shot. The world's rarest fish has been stolen from the city aquarium.
Video examples
Mohenjo Daro 101 PIPE...
after the city fell into ruin archeologists paid their first visit the ensuing decades of excavations have unearthed countless clues that tell the tale of mohenjo-daro but it still holds secrets for us to discover
Video examples
Walking in your truth as...
people that had no clue what people like myself were going through and so today I want you to know that when you see me I am NOT which engine to look like I'm just a courageous person who dares to be
Video examples
How did Polynesian...
Once navigators neared their destination, other clues, such as the flight patterns of birds, floating debris or vegetation, and types of fish in the area helped determine the proximity of land.
Video examples
Earth's Hidden Volcanos...
but it's now thought that vents like these could be the birthplace of all life on earth unlocking the secrets of earth's deep seas could provide clues to life elsewhere in the universe
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Phillipa Soo
American Actress
You get to crack the code of the play. You get to really pick at it and see, 'What is the story that we're telling?' 'What are the clues in the text that I can find that will help inform what story we're telling?' It's almost like a detective mystery.
Quote examples
Laurel Van Ness
Canadian Wrestler
I knew nothing about wrestling! Sometimes that's a great thing, and sometimes that really annoys people in this industry but that's the truth. I had no clue how to wrestle. I had to learn everything, absolutely everything. To start from the bottom.
Quote examples
Isaac Wright Jr.
Even on the witness stand at trial, there were people up there and I had no clue who they were. I had never seen them a day in my life and they were pointing the finger at me saying that I was their boss.
Quote examples
Harmony Korine
American Director
Everything has to have some kind of a point for people to breathe easy. What's the point of life? I have no clue, but sometimes there are things that just attract us and pull us in a certain way.
Quote examples
Joseph Fiennes
British Actor
I meet people in my business who have this extraordinary ability to understand human nature in their work, but in real life, they don't seem to have the first clue.
Quote examples
Sarah Shahi
American Actress
My role is to just tell the highest degree of truth with every character and every story. From there, I have no clue whatsoever how things are going to turn out.
Quote examples
Nadiya Hussain
British Chef
I'm forever making it out like I have got it all together and I know what I'm doing. The truth is I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.
Quote examples
Peggy Noonan
American Writer
I think miracles exist in part as gifts and in part as clues that there is something beyond the flat world we see.
Quote examples
Shirley Henderson
Scottish Actress
I wasn't frightened of people, but I didn't have a clue about the adult world.
Quote examples
Larry Wilmore
American Comedian
I do not look to Hollywood to give me character clues.
Quote examples
Phillipa Soo
American Actress
You get to crack the code of the play. You get to really pick at it and see, 'What is the story that we're telling?' 'What are the clues in the text that I can find that will help inform what story we're telling?' It's almost like a detective mystery.
Quote examples
Laurel Van Ness
Canadian Wrestler
I knew nothing about wrestling! Sometimes that's a great thing, and sometimes that really annoys people in this industry but that's the truth. I had no clue how to wrestle. I had to learn everything, absolutely everything. To start from the bottom.
Quote examples
Isaac Wright Jr.
Even on the witness stand at trial, there were people up there and I had no clue who they were. I had never seen them a day in my life and they were pointing the finger at me saying that I was their boss.
Quote examples
Harmony Korine
American Director
Everything has to have some kind of a point for people to breathe easy. What's the point of life? I have no clue, but sometimes there are things that just attract us and pull us in a certain way.
Quote examples
Joseph Fiennes
British Actor
I meet people in my business who have this extraordinary ability to understand human nature in their work, but in real life, they don't seem to have the first clue.
Quote examples
Sarah Shahi
American Actress
My role is to just tell the highest degree of truth with every character and every story. From there, I have no clue whatsoever how things are going to turn out.
Quote examples
Nadiya Hussain
British Chef
I'm forever making it out like I have got it all together and I know what I'm doing. The truth is I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.
Quote examples
Peggy Noonan
American Writer
I think miracles exist in part as gifts and in part as clues that there is something beyond the flat world we see.
Quote examples
Shirley Henderson
Scottish Actress
I wasn't frightened of people, but I didn't have a clue about the adult world.
Quote examples
Larry Wilmore
American Comedian
I do not look to Hollywood to give me character clues.
Example 1 of 10
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