Definition of tube
1 : any of various usually cylindrical structures or devices: such asa : a hollow elongated cylinder; especially : one to convey fluidsb : a soft tubular container whose contents (such as toothpaste) can be removed by squeezingc (1) : tunnel (2) British : subway bd : the basically cylindrical section between the mouthpiece and bell that is the fundamental part of a wind instrument
2a : a slender channel (such as a fallopian tube or a pollen tube) within a plant or animal body : ductb : the narrow basal portion of a corolla with united petals or a calyx with united sepals
3 : inner tube
4a : electron tube; especially : vacuum tubeb : cathode-ray tube; especially : a television picture tubec : television
5 : an article of clothing shaped like a tube a tube top tube socks
down the tube
ordown the tubes
: into a state of collapse or deterioration
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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 of tube from the Web
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The latest the river has opened for tube floaters and boaters was in 2011, when recreation users weren’t allowed on the river until July 11.
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Eastbound drivers entering from Rainier Avenue South lost their leisurely merge lane in May, when restriping placed two lanes instead of one approaching the right tube of the tunnel.
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Just as octopi appear to outsource information-processing tasks to their tentacles, or crickets to their tracheal tubes, perhaps spiders outsource information processing to objects outside of their bodies—their webs.
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The fans’ hopeful walk out of the Wembley Park tube station and along Wembley Way, the stadium rising before them.
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The nutritional fluids are pumped through a tube connected to her heart, reaching the bloodstream.
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Their equivalent of a CAT scan machine would be a big tube filled with tongues.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tube'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of tube
French, from Latin tubus; akin to Latin tuba trumpet
TUBE Defined for English Language Learners
tube
playDefinition of tube for English Language Learners
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: a long, hollow object that is used especially to control the flow of a liquid or gas
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: an object shaped like a pipe
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: a soft, long, narrow container that has a small opening at one end and that contains a soft material which can be pushed out by squeezing
TUBE Defined for Kids
tube
playDefinition of tube for Students
1 : a long hollow cylinder used especially to carry fluids
2 : a long soft container whose contents (as toothpaste or glue) can be removed by squeezing
3 : a slender channel within a plant or animal body : duct
4 : a hollow cylinder of rubber inside a tire to hold air
5 : electron tube
6 : television 2
tubelike
\ˈtüb-ˌlīk, ˈtyüb-\ adjectiveMedical Dictionary
Medical Definition of tube
1: a slender channel within a plant or animal body : duct—see bronchial tube, eustachian tube, fallopian tube
2a: 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 tubeb: test tube
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
Medical Definition of tube
tubed
;tubing
: to furnish with, enclose in, or pass through a tube the patient is then anesthetized…and tubed—Anesthesia Digest
Learn More about tube
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See words that rhyme with tube Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tube Spanish Central: Translation of tube Nglish: Translation of tube for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tube for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tube
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