tube: Meaning and Definition of

tube

Pronunciation: (tb, tyb), [key]
— n., v., tubed, tub•ing.
—n.
  1. a hollow, usually cylindrical body of metal, glass, rubber, or other material, used esp. for conveying or containing liquids or gases.
  2. a small, collapsible, cylinder of metal or plastic sealed at one end and having a capped opening at the other from which paint, toothpaste, or some other semifluid substance may be squeezed.
  3. any hollow, cylindrical vessel or organ: the bronchial tubes.
    1. any hollow, elongated body or part.
    2. the united lower portion of a gamopetalous corolla or a gamosepalous calyx.
  4. See
  5. See
    1. television.
    2. a television set.
  6. See
  7. the tubular tunnel in which an underground railroad runs.
  8. the railroad itself.
  9. the curled hollow formed on the underside of a cresting wave.
  10. subway (def. 1).
  11. a can of beer.
  12. a telescope.
  13. into a ruined, wasted, or abandoned state or condition.
—v.t.
  1. to furnish with a tube or tubes.
  2. to convey or enclose in a tube.
  3. to form into the shape of a tube; make tubular.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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