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

tuareg, tuart, tuatara, 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