tube
tube [tube tubes tubed tubing] BrE [tjuːb] NAmE [tuːb] noun PIPE 1. countable a long hollow pipe made of metal, plastic, rubber, etc, through which liquids or gases move from one place to another see also ↑cathode ray tube, ↑inner tube, ↑test tube 2. countable a hollow object in the shape of a pipe or tube •a bike's inner tube •the cardboard tube from the centre of a toilet roll CONTAINER 3. countable ~ (of sth) a long narrow container made of soft metal or plastic, with a lid, used for holding thick liquids that can be squeezed out of it •a tube of toothpaste 4. (AustralE, informal)a can of beer •a tube of lager PART OF BODY 5. countable a part inside the body that is shaped like a tube and through which air, liquid, etc. passes •bronchial tubes • The oesophagus is the tube leading from the throat to the stomach. see also ↑Fallopian tubes UNDERGROUND RAILWAY 6. (also The Tube™)singular (BrE)the underground railway system in London •a tube station/train • We came by tube. •She caught the wrong tube (= tube train). TELEVISION 7. the tubesingular (NAmE, informal)the television IN EAR 8. (NAmE) (BrE grom·met)countable a small tube placed in a child's ear in order to ↑drain liquid from it Idiom: ↑go down the tube See also: ↑grommet Word Origin: mid 17th cent.: from French tube or Latin tubus. British/American: underground / subway / metro / tube A city’s underground railway/railroad system is usually called the underground (often the Underground) in BrE and the subway in NAmE. Speakers of BrE also use subway for systems in American cities and metro for systems in other European countries. The Metro is the name for the systems in Paris and Washington, D.C. London’s system is often called the Tube. Example Bank: •I bumped into him on the tube. •I go to work by tube. •I had to cram myself into a packed tube carriage. •I often travel by tube •I often travel on the tube •I put the poster back into its tube. •She poured the liquid down the tube. •a tube of glue •my tube journey to work •He had to be fed through a feeding tube for several months. •The bike's inner tube was punctured in several places. •The documents were rolled up in a cardboard tube.
|
|