vacuum tube

noun

: an electron tube evacuated to a high degree of vacuum

Examples of vacuum tube in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the dock, a fish pump, which works like a giant vacuum tube, was sucking the fish out of the hold. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Arthur Richardson founded the company in 1947 to sell surplus military vacuum tubes to the fledgling television and radio industries. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Conventional radiation monitors have long relied on traditional glass vacuum tubes. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026

The underwater robot couldn’t lift the rock, but the robot was equipped with a vacuum tube. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for vacuum tube

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

Kids Definition

vacuum tube

noun

: an electron tube from which most of the air has been removed

Medical Definition

vacuum tube

noun

: an electronic device in which conduction by electrons takes place through a vacuum within a sealed glass or metal container and which has various uses based on the controlled flow of electrons