tube
a hollow, usually cylindrical body of metal, glass, rubber, or other material, used especially for conveying or containing liquids or gases.
a small, collapsible, cylinder of metal or plastic sealed at one end and having a capped opening at the other from which paint, toothpaste, or some other semifluid substance may be squeezed.
Anatomy, Zoology. any hollow, cylindrical vessel or organ: the bronchial tubes.
Botany.
any hollow, elongated body or part.
the united lower portion of a gamopetalous corolla or a gamosepalous calyx.
Electronics. electron tube.
Informal.
a television set.
the tubular tunnel in which an underground railroad runs.
the railroad itself.
Surfing Slang. the curled hollow formed on the underside of a cresting wave.
British. subway (def. 1).
Australian Slang. a can of beer.
Older Slang. a telescope.
to furnish with a tube or tubes.
to convey or enclose in a tube.
to form into the shape of a tube; make tubular.
Idioms about tube
down the tube / tubes, Informal. into a ruined, wasted, or abandoned state or condition.
Origin of tube
1Other words from tube
- tubeless, adjective
- tubelike, adjective
- mul·ti·tube, adjective
Words Nearby tube
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tube in a sentence
A towable tube will guarantee a wild ride for any seafarer, young and old.
The Platypus Big Zip has a three-liter capacity, and features a switchable tube set-up that can plug into either the bottom or a connection point halfway up the bladder.
Hydration bladders for outdoor adventures | PopSci Commerce Team | September 1, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThis bike has a quick-release to hold the seatpost in the seat tube.
The most secure ways to lock up your bike | By Michael Frank/Cycle Volta | August 26, 2020 | Popular-ScienceShe remained on a ventilator and tube feedings for nearly five years.
New guidance on brain death could ease debate over when life ends | Laura Sanders | August 10, 2020 | Science NewsIn experimental systems, researchers have attached different sorts of molecules to strips of paper, which can be dipped in a tube of saliva to produce the results of a home test in 30 minutes or less.
The Case for Rapid At-Home COVID Testing for Everyone - Facts So Romantic | Robert Bazell | August 5, 2020 | Nautilus
With the help of mobility aids and a feeding tube, she lived well past her initial prognosis of death by age 4.
U.K. Courts Grant Mother Right to End Her 12-Year-Old Disabled Daughter’s Life | Elizabeth Picciuto | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat incident was due to an “equipment” problem (a steel tube ruptured)—resulting in explosive vapors being released and ignited.
For hoodie-clad, Silicon Valley-types, this means more transistors in a dense integrated tube.
With shorts, a man is expected to wear ankle socks rather than pulled up tube socks.
Also, because a tube of lipstick stands in for the “i” in “science.”
Drone: the largest tube of a bag-pipe, giving forth a dull heavy tone.
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan SwiftShould the vapor not condense well, the test-tube may be immersed in a glass of cold water.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddFor comparison, the gas may be passed through a test-tube containing an equal amount of distilled water.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddAt once cover the mouth of the tube with a filter-paper cap moistened with saturated aqueous solution of silver nitrate (1:1).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThe best pipet is a small glass tube which has been drawn out at one end to a tip with rather small opening.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for tube
/ (tjuːb) /
a long hollow and typically cylindrical object, used for the passage of fluids or as a container
a collapsible cylindrical container of soft metal or plastic closed with a cap, used to hold viscous liquids or pastes
anatomy
short for Eustachian tube, Fallopian tube
any hollow cylindrical structure
botany
the lower part of a gamopetalous corolla or gamosepalous calyx, below the lobes
any other hollow structure in a plant
the tube British
Also called: the underground an underground railway system: US and Canadian equivalent: subway
the tunnels through which the railway runs
the train itself
(capital) trademark the London underground railway system
electronics
another name for valve (def. 3)
the tube slang a television set
British slang a stupid or despicable person
Australian slang a bottle or can of beer
surfing the cylindrical passage formed when a wave breaks and the crest tips forward
an archaic word for telescope
to fit or supply with a tube or tubes
to carry or convey in a tube
to shape like a tube
Origin of tube
1Derived forms of tube
- tubeless, adjective
- tube-like, adjective
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 Idioms and Phrases with tube
see down the tubes.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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