inner tube

American

noun

a doughnut-shaped, flexible rubber tube inflated inside a tire to bear the weight of a vehicle.

inner tube British

noun

an inflatable rubber tube that fits inside a pneumatic tyre casing

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

inner tubes

plural

Etymology

Origin of inner tube

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

inner tube

Moleli donned a wetsuit, swim cap and goggles and went for a swim in the pothole in a watermelon-adorned inner tube.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

Consider the analogy of trying to capture a 3D image of a child wearing an inner tube around their waist.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024

Two years ago a 12-year-old boy on an inner tube was attacked but not seriously hurt by an otter on Montana’s Big Hole River.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2023

A jet ski struck Foster’s son Kile Glover, who was floating on an inner tube being pulled by a pontoon boat in the lake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

He uses a black inner tube, which is bulky and easy for Border Patrol agents to spot.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023