tub

[ tuhb ]

/ tʌb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tub ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a bathtub.

a broad, round, open, wooden container, usually made of staves held together by hoops and fitted around a flat bottom.

any of various containers resembling or suggesting a tub: a tub for washing clothes.

the amount a tub will hold.

Informal. a short and fat person.

Nautical. an old, slow, or clumsy vessel.

British Informal. a bath in a bathtub.

Mining. an ore car; tram.

Military Slang. a two-seat aircraft, especially a trainer.

verb (used with object), tubbed, tub·bing.

to place or keep in a tub.

British Informal. to bathe in a bathtub.

verb (used without object), tubbed, tub·bing.

British Informal. to bathe oneself in a bathtub.

Informal. to undergo washing, especially without damage, as a fabric: This cotton print tubs well.

Nearby words

tuart, tuatara, tuatha de danann, tuatha dé danann, tuatua, tub, tub chair, tub-thump, tub-thumper, tub-thumping, tuba

Origin of tub

1350–1400; Middle English tubbe (noun) < Middle Dutch tobbe; cognate with Middle Low German tubbe, tobbe

Related forms

tub·ba·ble, adjectivetub·ber, nountub·like, adjectiveun·der·tub, noun

un·tubbed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tub

On one summer lunch hour, Donna Ann Levonuk, 50, lifted a tub of diaper cream priced at $43.98—and then stashed it in her purse.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tub used in the birth was not approved for medical use and is difficult to disinfect.
Are Water Births Toxic to Babies?|Brandy Zadrozny|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My partner got in the “tub” first and I leaned back on her so she could give me the old reacharound.
I Tried Cosmo’s New Lesbian Sex Tips|Samantha Allen|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A heavy trowel is used to retrieve a mass of your chosen kind of ice cream from its tub and put it in the cardboard container.
Dr. Mike’s Makes the Best Ice Cream on Earth|Jane & Michael Stern|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Until recently, with global demand soaring for oil, gas, and minerals, thumping the tub against imperialism played well at home.
After the Presidential Election, a Tough Road for Hugo Chávez|Mac Margolis|October 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The centrifugal wringer, or dryer, consists of a tub, inside of which is a smaller tub with perforated sides.
Mechanical Devices in the Home|Edith Louise Allen
After our "tub" we made a line for the station, the train being so long that only a portion of it was in it.
A Soldier's Sketches Under Fire|Harold Harvey
The dancing had finished, and a little group was gathered around the fiddler's tub.
A Son of Hagar|Sir Hall Caine
At one bound I entered into full possession of the freedom of Diogenes in his tub, with no Alexander to bother me.
Mad Shepherds|L. P. Jacks
Jake fell into the mud, and the tub drifted away; they had chased it nearly to the road before they recovered it.
The Story Of Kennett|Bayard Taylor

British Dictionary definitions for tub

tub

/ (tʌb) /

noun

a low wide open container, typically round, originally one made of wood and used esp for washing: now made of wood, plastic, metal, etc, and used in a variety of domestic and industrial situations

a small plastic or cardboard container of similar shape for ice cream, margarine, etc

Also called: bathtub another word (esp US and Canadian) for bath 1 (def. 1)

Also called: tubful the amount a tub will hold

a clumsy slow boat or ship

informal (in rowing) a heavy wide boat used for training novice oarsmen

Also called: tram, hutch

a small vehicle on rails for carrying loads in a mine
a container for lifting coal or ore up a mine shaft; skip

verb tubs, tubbing or tubbed

British informal to wash (oneself or another) in a tub

(tr) to keep or put in a tub

Derived Forms

tubbable, adjectivetubber, noun

Word Origin for tub

C14: from Middle Dutch tubbe

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

tub

noun

verb (used with object), tubbed, tub·bing.

verb (used without object), tubbed, tub·bing.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of tub

Related forms

Examples from the Web for tub

British Dictionary definitions for tub

tub

noun

verb tubs, tubbing or tubbed

Derived Forms

Word Origin for tub