test-tube

1 of 2

adjective

ˈtes(t)-ˌt(y)üb 

1

: in vitro

test-tube experiments

2

: produced by in vitro fertilization

test-tube babies

test tube

2 of 2

noun

: a plain or lipped tube usually of thin glass closed at one end and used especially in chemistry and biology

Examples of test-tube in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

After developing into an embryo in a test-tube, it’s implanted into the womb of a female surrogate animal. —Emily Mullin, Wired News, 7 Apr. 2025

National Geographic harnesses some of that tendency in this kit that contains instructions and equipment for 15 different gross experiments with themes like boiling boogers, farting slime, bursting blood cells, eyeballs, and test-tube vomit. —Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 5 Dec. 2024

Noun

The company’s wildly popular exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair featured a shapely Miss Chemistry rising out of a test tube in a nylon evening gown and stockings. —Mariah Blake, The Atlantic, 5 May 2025

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) blood test measures how quickly erythrocytes, a type of red blood cell, settle at the bottom of a test tube. —Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1846, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for test-tube

• boob
• cube
• lube
• rube
• tube
• hypercube
• nanotube
• phototube

Kids Definition

test tube

noun

: a tube of thin glass closed at one end and used especially in chemistry and biology

Medical Definition

test-tube

1 of 2 adjective

1

: in vitro

test-tube experiments

2

: produced by in vitro fertilization

test-tube babies

test tube

2 of 2 noun

: a plain or lipped tube usually of thin glass closed at one end and used especially in chemistry and biology