tube

American  

[toob, tyoob] / tub, tyub /

noun

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

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

Etymology

Origin of tube

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

Example Sentences

During the process, the insertion of a breathing tube damaged his vocal cords, leaving him questioning whether he would ever be able to sing again, he told The Times in 2021.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The system then uses optical imaging to monitor bacterial growth in each tube.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Once upon a time, information arrived printed on paper, rolled into a tube, and tossed through the air to arrive on a lawn or doorstep.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Since then, he has been breathing with the help of a tracheostomy tube and is fed through a gastrostomy tube.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

“You can’t fit that on the back of a tube of paint!”

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• cylinder
• duct
• pipe
• pipeline
• tunnel