tube
10 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
tubes
plural
tubes
Britannica Dictionary definition of TUBE
1
[count]
a
:
a long, hollow object that is used especially to control the flow of a liquid or gas
-
She was breathing oxygen through a tube.
-
The nurse inserted a feeding tube. [=a tube used to deliver food to the stomach of a patient who cannot eat]
b
:
an object shaped like a pipe
—
see also inner tube, test tube, vacuum tube
-
a tube of lipstick
-
a cardboard tube
2
[count]
:
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
-
a tube of paint/toothpaste
3
[count]
:
a thin, long, hollow part within an animal or plant
-
the bronchial tubes
-
a pollen tube
4
the tube
US, informal
:
the television
—
see also boob tube, cathode-ray tube
-
They spent all afternoon sitting in front of the tube. [=(Brit) the box]
-
What's on the tube tonight?
5
[noncount]
British
:
the system of trains that run underground in London
-
It's easy to get around London on the tube.
-
There's a tube station a couple of blocks away from here.
-
She travels by tube to work every day.
go down the tubes
informal
1
:
to fail or become ruined
-
His health is going down the tubes.
2
:
to be wasted or lost
-
All my hard work went down the tubes. [=went down the drain]
-
The plant produces tubelike flowers.
