breathing tube

noun

plural breathing tubes

1

medical : a usually small plastic tube inserted (as through the nose or mouth) into the trachea especially to deliver oxygen or anesthesia to the lungs

… tracheostomy, a complication-prone and cosmetically undesirable insertion of a breathing tube through the neck.

—John Grossmann

especially : endotracheal tube

… her life is sustained by a breathing tube that hospital authorities are unwilling to disconnect.

—Judy Flander

Eventually, anesthesia was called to insert a breathing tube and Mrs. M was placed on a ventilator because she could not breathe adequately on her own.

—Kiran Gupta

2

: a tubular anatomical part through which air passes into or out of the body: such as

a

: a trachea or bronchial tube of an air-breathing vertebrate

… immediate help would be available to any student suffering anaphylaxis, the severe allergic reaction that can close off breathing tubes and send the body into shock.

—Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah

Bronchiectasis is abnormal dilation of the bronchi, the breathing tubes of the lungs.

—Paul G. Donohue

b

: one of the air-conveying tubules forming the respiratory system of most insects and many other arthropods : trachea sense 3

… tracheal mites, even tinier parasites, which attack bees' breathing tubes …

—Elizabeth Kolbert

Examples of breathing tube in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These can include inserting a breathing tube, administering medications and possibly shocking the patient again. —Helen Ouyang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024

His lungs also might start hemorrhaging, blood and mucus filling his breathing tube. —Helen Ouyang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024

The protocol in Alabama calls for an inmate to be is strapped to a gurney and fitted with a mask and a breathing tube. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 25 Jan. 2024

The protocol in Alabama called for Smith to be strapped to a gurney and fitted with a mask and a breathing tube. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2024

Septic shock is usually treated in the ICU with antibiotics, fluids, a breathing tube to help oxygen flow, and, in some cases, other medication or surgery. —Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 19 Jan. 2024

One of the most shocking scenes, among many, was the moment in the end where your character is in a coma and Oliver rips out her breathing tube. —Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Dec. 2023

In one memorable scene, Andy Garcia, playing an ailing chain-smoker who has had a cancer operation, inserts a cigarette directly into the breathing tube in his trachea. —Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023

However, severe cases of bronchiolitis might require hospitalization for respiratory support (this can include oxygen or a breathing tube in very ill children) or treatment of dehydration (with intravenous fluid). —Nicole Harris, Parents, 25 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

breathing tube

noun

1

: a trachea or bronchial tube of an air-breathing vertebrate

2

: trachea sense 2

3

: a usually small plastic tube inserted into the trachea through the mouth or nose to maintain an unobstructed passageway especially to deliver oxygen or anesthesia to the lungs

Medical Definition

breathing tube

noun

1

: a tubular anatomical part (as a trachea or bronchial tube) through which air passes into or out of the body of an air-breathing vertebrate

… immediate help would be available to any student suffering anaphylaxis, the severe allergic reaction that can close off breathing tubes and send the body into shock.

—Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, The Chicago Tribune

Bronchiectasis is abnormal dilation of the bronchi, the breathing tubes of the lungs.

—Paul G. Donohue, The Springfield (Massachusetts) Union News

2

: a usually small plastic tube inserted (as through the nose or mouth) into the trachea especially to deliver oxygen or anesthesia to the lungs

… tracheostomy, a complication-prone and cosmetically undesirable insertion of a breathing tube through the neck.

—John Grossmann, Science 84

especially : endotracheal tube

Eventually, anesthesia was called to insert a breathing tube and Mrs. M was placed on a ventilator because she could not breathe adequately on her own.

—Kiran Gupta, The Boston Globe