tube

American  

[toob, tyoob] / tub, tjub /

noun

tubes plural

1. a hollow, usually cylindrical body of metal, glass, rubber, or other material, used especially for conveying or containing liquids or gases.

2. 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.

3. Anatomy, Zoology. any hollow, cylindrical vessel or organ.

   the bronchial tubes.

4. Botany.

   1. any hollow, elongated body or part.

   2. the united lower portion of a gamopetalous corolla or a gamosepalous calyx.

5. inner tube.

6. Electronics. electron tube.

7. Informal.

   1. television.

   2. a television set.

8. mailing tube.

9. the tubular tunnel in which an underground railroad runs.

10. the railroad itself.

11. Surfing Slang. the curled hollow formed on the underside of a cresting wave.

12. British. subway.

13. Australian Slang. a can of beer.

14. Older Slang. a telescope.

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verb (used with object)

tubed, tubing

1. to furnish with a tube or tubes.

2. to convey or enclose in a tube.

3. to form into the shape of a tube; make tubular.

idioms

1. down the tube / tubes, into a ruined, wasted, or abandoned state or condition.

tube British  

/ tjuːb /

noun

1. a long hollow and typically cylindrical object, used for the passage of fluids or as a container

2. a collapsible cylindrical container of soft metal or plastic closed with a cap, used to hold viscous liquids or pastes

3. anatomy

   1. short for Eustachian tube Fallopian tube

   2. any hollow cylindrical structure

4. botany

   1. the lower part of a gamopetalous corolla or gamosepalous calyx, below the lobes

   2. any other hollow structure in a plant

5. 1. US and Canadian equivalent: subway.  Also called: the underground.  an underground railway system

   2. the tunnels through which the railway runs

   3. the train itself

   4. (capital) the London underground railway system

6. electronics

   1. another name for valve

   2. See electron tube cathode-ray tube television tube

7. slang a television set

8. slang a stupid or despicable person

9. slang a bottle or can of beer

10. surfing the cylindrical passage formed when a wave breaks and the crest tips forward

11. an archaic word for telescope

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verb

1. to fit or supply with a tube or tubes

2. to carry or convey in a tube

3. to shape like a tube

tube More Idioms  

1. see down the tubes.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multitube
  adjective
• tube-like
  adjective
• tubeless
  adjective
• tubelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tubes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tube

First recorded in 1590–1600, tube is from the Latin word tubus pipe

Explanation

A tube is a pipe shape, a cylinder with a hollow space inside. If you're like most people, you sip your milkshake through a straw — a long, plastic tube. Chemists use glass tubes in labs, and plumbers work with pipes — tubes made of plastic and metal. Another kind of tube is the rubber one inside a tire. If you slide down a snowy hillside on an inflated tire tube, or ride through choppy water while sitting on one, you can also use tube as a verb. Though it's not true in the US, in London the subway is also familiarly known as the Tube.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tube tubes tubed tubing

In March 1989, a midday tube rupture at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo sent cleaning solvent-filled steam into the air and trashed the paint jobs on about 2,000 neighboring cars and trucks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

It was this dynamic that had Elizabeth Cotterell and Coen Ware deeply analyzing the film during a recent tube ride in London.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Over two years she underwent seven intense chemotherapy treatments, lost her hair and had to be fed through a tube.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

French-style villas stand to be bulldozed, along with modest Hanoi-style "tube" houses and densely packed low-rises.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Except you don't need to look through a tube to see it.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Over time, the newly formed material settled onto silicon chips placed inside the tubes, leaving behind a thin coating of dust.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Squeezed at the edge of the scene is a table with the tools of an artist scattered about—palette knife, tubes of paints, a can of brush cleaner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

"She would just look at me. Even with all those tubes and machines attached to her, she would try to reach out, wanting to crawl into my lap," Akhter remembers, in tears.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Rescuers were able to insert tubes to provide water, hydration fluids, protein shakes and medicine to Gil.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

When I get home from work, the acrylic tubes are still on the desk, but not the way I left them.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

This device comes in two forms, tubed and tubeless.

From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2024

The Faroe Islands is a self-governing archipelago within the Kingdom of Denmark, where there is also a strong affinity for meat served in tubed form.

From Salon ● Nov. 18, 2024

The opening of the tubed slide was small, and I thought I should lie down to avoid whacking my head.

From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2017

He was a tall Dane, holding a tubed black device that he called a smoking gun.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 4, 2016

This fountain was the first tubed in this mineral valley, being opened by Gideon Putnam, in 1806.

From Saratoga and How to See It by Dearborn, R. F.

Certain lots were found to have internal tubing tears, which risk under-delivering insulin to patients.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

Performance videos show her surrounded by IV tubing through which a blood-like liquid flows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

Dark red fluid can be seen coursing through medical tubing in another, and in a selfie Hadid’s eyes are puffy and teary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025

This scenic stretch of Texas Hill Country, usually a destination for tubing and camping, became the site of one of the state’s deadliest flood events in years.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025

I ask, picking up the tubing and placing it back on its hook.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• cylinder
• duct
• pipe
• pipeline
• tunnel