tub

[ tuhb ]

noun

1. a bathtub.
2. a broad, round, open, wooden container, usually made of staves held together by hoops and fitted around a flat bottom.
3. any of various containers resembling or suggesting a tub:

   a tub for washing clothes.

4. the amount a tub will hold.
5. Informal. a short and fat person.
6. Nautical. an old, slow, or clumsy vessel.
7. British Informal. a bath in a bathtub.
8. Mining. an ore car; tram.
9. Military Slang. a two-seat aircraft, especially a trainer.

verb (used with object)

, tubbed, tub·bing.

1. to place or keep in a tub.
2. British Informal. to bathe in a bathtub.

verb (used without object)

, tubbed, tub·bing.

1. British Informal. to bathe oneself in a bathtub.
2. Informal. to undergo washing, especially without damage, as a fabric:

   This cotton print tubs well.

tub

/ tʌb /

noun

1. 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
2. a small plastic or cardboard container of similar shape for ice cream, margarine, etc
3. Also calledbathtub another word (esp US and Canadian) for bath 1
4. Also calledtubful the amount a tub will hold
5. a clumsy slow boat or ship
6. informal.
   (in rowing) a heavy wide boat used for training novice oarsmen
7. Also calledtramhutch
   1. a small vehicle on rails for carrying loads in a mine
   2. a container for lifting coal or ore up a mine shaft; skip

verb

1. informal.
   to wash (oneself or another) in a tub
2. tr to keep or put in a tub

Derived Forms

• ˈtubbable, adjective
• ˈtubber, noun

Other Words From

• tubba·ble adjective
• tubber noun
• tublike adjective
• under·tub noun
• un·tubbed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tub¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tub¹

C14: from Middle Dutch tubbe

Example Sentences

He had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease and was found to have drowned in a hot tub.

From Salon

An 800g tub cost £14 and with two kids to feed, James and his partner were going through two and a half tubs a week, spending well over £100 a month.

From BBC

They previously founded the Matthew Perry Foundation of the U.S. just days after the actor was found dead in the hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home.

From Los Angeles Times

Perry was found unresponsive in his backyard hot tub in October 2023.

From Los Angeles Times

Noni loved playing with bubbles and splashing around in water, and zookeepers often joked about needing to get her a hot tub for her habitat, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times