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# queer

adjective (queer, queerer, queerest); noun (a queer — offensive); verb (queer — informal)

«queer» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (old-fashioned) Strange or odd: «a queer noise», «I feel queer» (unwell). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#m1)
2. (identity) Used by some people to describe themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or not fitting usual ideas of gender; this use is accepted by many today. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#m2)
3. (offensive) For a long time it was used as an insult against gay people, and it can still hurt when used to mock someone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#m3)
4. (UK, informal, old) «Queer someone's pitch» means to spoil their plans. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#m4)

### In the lessons

In old books like Alice in Wonderland and The Wind in the Willows, «queer» simply means strange: Alice meets «a queer-looking party», and the animals hear queer sounds in the Wild Wood. Readers today should understand this old meaning. In modern life, be careful: only use it about people in the way they choose, never as an insult.

### Examples

- «What a queer thing!» said Alice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#x1)
- They were a queer-looking party on the bank. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#x2)
- The Mole heard a queer whistling in the Wild Wood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#x3)
- I feel a bit queer after that ride. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#x4)
- It was a queer, foggy day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#x5)
- Some people describe themselves as queer, and we respect the words people choose for themselves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#x6)
- Just before they reached the town, they saw a queer sight. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/#x7)

### Note

In old stories it means «strange»; in modern use it is about identity and can be hurtful if used as an insult. Old phrase: «queer as Dick's hatband» (very odd).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «queer» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Q/queer/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«queer» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/queer.html) on Mova free.