1
: any of various usually cylindrical structures or devices: such as
a
: a hollow elongated cylinder
especially
: one to convey fluids
b
: a soft tubular container whose contents (such as toothpaste) can be removed by squeezing
c(1)
: tunnel
(2)
British
: subway sense b
d
: the basically cylindrical section between the mouthpiece and bell that is the fundamental part of a wind instrument
2
a
: a slender channel (such as a fallopian tube or a pollen tube) within a plant or animal body : duct
b
: the narrow basal portion of a corolla with united petals or a calyx with united sepals
3
4
a
: electron tube
especially
: vacuum tube
b
: cathode-ray tube
especially
: a television picture tube
c
5
: an article of clothing shaped like a tube
a tube top
tube socks
Examples of tube in a Sentence
She was breathing oxygen through a tube.
watched the liquid move through the tube between the flasks and recorded the movement in his chemistry notebook
Recent Examples on the Web
In total, approximately 4,500 Marines and sailors have been deployed, supported by a cruiser, several destroyers, and a Los Angeles-class attack submarine equipped with more than 400 missile tubes capable of precision strikes.
—
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
So your character’s daughter has a kind of eating disorder and is connected to a feeding tube.
—Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
Once the rice has been milled and had its bran layer removed, it gets tumbled in a narrow tube for around seven seconds.
—Emily Johnson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
Instead of a quartz tube, this reactor uses a sheet of carbon paper as the heating element, which can get much hotter, up to about 10,000 Kelvin in one second (over 9,700 °C).
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tube
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
So your character’s daughter has a kind of eating disorder and is connected to a feeding tube.
—Vogue, 9 Oct. 2025
Once the rice has been milled and had its bran layer removed, it gets tumbled in a narrow tube for around seven seconds.
—Emily Johnson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
Instead of a quartz tube, this reactor uses a sheet of carbon paper as the heating element, which can get much hotter, up to about 10,000 Kelvin in one second (over 9,700 °C).
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tube
Cite this Entry
“Tube.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tube. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tube
noun1
a
: a slender channel within a plant or animal body : duct
b
: a long hollow cylinder
especially
: one to carry fluids
c
: the part of a wind instrument that connects the mouthpiece with the open end
2
: a soft container shaped something like a tube whose contents (as toothpaste or glue) can be removed by squeezing
3
4
6
: an article of clothing shaped like a tube
tube socks
Medical Definition
tube
1 of 2 noun1
: a slender channel within a plant or animal body : duct see bronchial tube, eustachian tube, fallopian tube
2
a
: an often complex piece of laboratory or technical apparatus usually of glass and commonly serving to isolate or convey a product of reaction
a distillation tube
b
3
: a soft tubular container whose contents (as toothpaste) can be dispensed by squeezing
4
: a hollow cylindrical device (as a cannula) used for insertion into bodily passages or hollow organs for removal or injection of materials
tube
2 of 2 transitive verb
tubed; tubing
: to furnish with, enclose in, or pass through a tube
the patient is then anesthetized … and tubed—Anesthesia Digest
Anesthesia DigestLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share