definitions

vacuum tube

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vacuum tube ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called, especially British, vacuum valve. an electron tube from which almost all air or gas has been evacuated: formerly used extensively in radio and electronics.
a sealed glass tube with electrodes and a partial vacuum or a highly rarefied gas, used to observe the effects of a discharge of electricity passed through it.

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RELATED WORDS

VT

Nearby words

vacuum frame, vacuum gauge, vacuum pan, vacuum pump, vacuum servo, vacuum tube, vacuum-pack, vacuum-packed, vacuumize, vad, vade

Origin of vacuum tube

First recorded in 1775–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vacuum tube

  • It was only a matter, he said, of transferring a man's habit patterns from brain cells to vacuum-tube cells.

    The Tunnel Under The World|Frederik Pohl

  • This glow is conceived to represent the Aurora, which may consequently be likened to a gigantic exhibition of vacuum-tube lights.

    Curiosities of the Sky|Garrett Serviss

  • He guessed that they were housings for vacuum-tube elevator shafts that led to underground caves.

    The Revolt on Venus|Carey Rockwell

  • Radiofrequency power is supplied to the dee by a vacuum-tube oscillator.

    LRL Accelerators|Lawrence Radiation Laboratory

British Dictionary definitions for vacuum tube

vacuum tube

vacuum valve

noun

another name for valve (def. 3)
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

Science definitions for vacuum tube

vacuum tube

An electron tube from which all air has been removed. The vacuum ensures transparency inside the tube for electric fields and moving electrons. Most electron tubes are vacuum tubes; cathode-ray tubes, which include television picture tubes and other video display tubes, are the most widely used vacuum tubes. In other electronic applications, vacuum tubes have largely been replaced by transistors.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.