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Synonyms

tub

American  
[tuhb] / tʌb /

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, tubbing
  1. to place or keep in a tub.

  2. British Informal. to bathe in a bathtub.

verb (used without object)

tubbed, tubbing
  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 British  
/ 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 called: bathtub.  another word (esp US and Canadian) for bath 1

  4. Also called: tubful.  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 called: tram.   hutch

    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

"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

verb

  1. informal to wash (oneself or another) in a tub

  2. (tr) to keep or put in a tub

"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 Word Forms

  • tubbable adjective
  • tubber noun
  • tublike adjective
  • undertub noun
  • untubbed adjective

Etymology

Origin of tub

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

By the end, I had two tubs of Hallmark ornaments.

From Los Angeles Times

Crack open a tub of Celebrations or pull a Terry's Chocolate Orange from a stocking these days, and have you noticed, there seems to be a little less to go around?

From BBC

She knew how to make it taste just like the stuff you’d get in a theater—better, even—and she’d get those red-and-white-striped tubs they have there to make it feel even more authentic.

From Literature

The iconic property comes complete with 49 guest rooms, 20 suites, a slew of private terraces, private pools, hot tubs, and more.

From MarketWatch

“There’s generally no pools and no hot tubs,” he noted, “but they have community rooms and fitness centers and lounges.”

From The Wall Street Journal