tube

[toob, tyoob] /tub, tyub/
noun
1.
a hollow, usually cylindrical body of metal, glass, rubber, or other material, used especially 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.
Anatomy, Zoology. any hollow, cylindrical vessel or organ:
the bronchial tubes.
4.
Botany.
  1. any hollow, elongated body or part.
  2. the united lower portion of a gamopetalous corolla or a gamosepalous calyx.
5.
inner tube.
6.
Electronics. electron tube.
7.
Informal.
  1. television.
  2. a television set.
8.
mailing tube.
9.
the tubular tunnel in which an underground railroad runs.
10.
the railroad itself.
11.
Surfing Slang. the curled hollow formed on the underside of a cresting wave.
12.
British, subway (def 1).
13.
Australian Slang. a can of beer.
14.
Older Slang. a telescope.
verb (used with object), tubed, tubing.
15.
to furnish with a tube or tubes.
16.
to convey or enclose in a tube.
17.
to form into the shape of a tube; make tubular.
Idioms
18.
down the tube / tubes, Informal. into a ruined, wasted, or abandoned state or condition.
Origin
1590-1600; < Latin tubus pipe
Related forms
tubeless, adjective
tubelike, adjective
multitube, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for down the tube

tube

/tjuːb/
noun
1.
a long hollow and typically cylindrical object, used for the passage of fluids or as a container
2.
a collapsible cylindrical container of soft metal or plastic closed with a cap, used to hold viscous liquids or pastes
3.
(anatomy)
  1. short for Eustachian tube, Fallopian tube
  2. any hollow cylindrical structure
4.
(botany)
  1. the lower part of a gamopetalous corolla or gamosepalous calyx, below the lobes
  2. any other hollow structure in a plant
5.
(Brit) the tube
  1. Also called the underground. an underground railway system US and Canadian equivalent subway
  2. the tunnels through which the railway runs
  3. the train itself
  4. (capital) trademark the London underground railway system
6.
(electronics)
  1. another name for valve (sense 3)
  2. See electron tube, cathode-ray tube, television tube
7.
(slang) the tube, a television set
8.
(Brit, slang) a stupid or despicable person
9.
(Austral, slang) a bottle or can of beer
10.
(surfing) the cylindrical passage formed when a wave breaks and the crest tips forward
11.
an archaic word for telescope
verb (transitive)
12.
to fit or supply with a tube or tubes
13.
to carry or convey in a tube
14.
to shape like a tube
Derived Forms
tubeless, adjective
tube-like, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin tubus
Word Origin and History for down the tube

tube

n.

1610s, from Middle French tube (mid-15c.), from Latin tubus "tube, pipe," of unknown origin. The London subway was christened the Twopenny Tube before it even opened (H.D. Browne, in the "Londoner" of June 30, 1900); tube for "cylindrical railway tunnel" is attested from 1847. The meaning "TV as a medium" is from 1959, short for cathode ray tube or picture tube. Tube top as a women's clothing style is attested from 1972. Tube steak is attested from 1963 as "frankfurter," slang meaning "penis" is recorded by mid-1980s. Tubing as a recreational pastime is recorded from 1975.

down the tube in Medicine

tube (tōōb, tyōōb)
n.

  1. A hollow cylinder, especially one that conveys a fluid or functions as a passage.

  2. An anatomical structure or organ having the shape or function of a tube; a duct.

Slang definitions & phrases for down the tube

down the tube

Related Terms

go down the tube


Idioms and Phrases with down the tube

tube

see: down the tubes