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
Synonyms
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
This may include administering supplemental oxygen through a mask or tubes in the nose to help increase blood oxygen levels.
—
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 5 Nov. 2024
With these investments have also come 3 new trails, with options to night ski and tube.
—Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Nov. 2024
Doc Odd does a penknife incision to the man’s neck (hate this) and brings him down to the sick bay to insert a tracheal tube and physically wrench his sternoclavicular joint back into place, which the nurses find very risky.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
Unlike traditional toothpaste in plastic tubes, the NOBS tablets are in glass jars.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tube 
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Lindsay Curtis, Health, 5 Nov. 2024
With these investments have also come 3 new trails, with options to night ski and tube.
—Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Nov. 2024
Doc Odd does a penknife incision to the man’s neck (hate this) and brings him down to the sick bay to insert a tracheal tube and physically wrench his sternoclavicular joint back into place, which the nurses find very risky.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
Unlike traditional toothpaste in plastic tubes, the NOBS tablets are in glass jars.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tube
Dictionary Entries Near tube
Cite this Entry
“Tube.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tube. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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?
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