definitions

boob tube

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR boob tube ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

television.
a television set.

RELATED CONTENT

What Does 🦚 Peacock Emoji Mean?The peacock emoji is an image of a blue and green peacock, with its tail feathers fanned into a half circle, and in most platforms, the body of the bird is front and center, colored in a rich, sapphire blue.
READ MORE
From The Grammys To The Oscars: The Stories Behind The NamesAre you familiar with how your favorite award show got its name?
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

TV, television, telly

Nearby words

boo-word, boo-ya, boob, boob happy, boob job, boob tube, boobhead, boobialla, booboisie, boobook, boobs

Origin of boob tube

First recorded in 1965–70; rhyming coinage, from the notion that television programming is foolish, induces foolishness, or is watched by foolish people
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for boob tube

boob tube

noun slang

a close-fitting strapless top, worn by women
Australian a strapless, boneless, shapeless brassiere made of a stretch fabric
mainly US and Canadian a television receiver
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for boob tube

boob tube

n.

"television set," U.S. slang, by 1965, from boob "stupid person" + slang tube (n.) "television, television programming," because the sets really did have vacuum tubes in them once upon a time.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper