¦ noun
1. a long, hollow cylinder used for conveying or holding liquids or gases.
a long flexible metal or plastic container sealed at one end and with a cap at the other.
material forming tubes.
2. Anatomy, Zoology, & Botany a hollow cylindrical organ or structure in an animal or plant.
(tubes) informal a woman's Fallopian tubes.
3. (the Tube) Brit. trademark the underground railway system in London.
a train running on this system.
4. a sealed container, typically of glass and either evacuated or filled with gas, containing two electrodes between which an electric current can be made to flow.
a cathode ray tube, especially in a television set.
N. Amer. a thermionic valve.
5. (the tube) N. Amer. informal television.
6. (in surfing) the hollow curve under the crest of a breaking wave.
7. informal a cigarette.
8. Austral. informal a can of beer.
¦ verb
1. [usu. as adjective tubed] provide with a tube or tubes.
2. convey in a tube.
Phrases
go down the tube (or tubes) informal be completely lost or wasted; fail utterly.
Derivatives
tubeless adjective
Origin
C17: from Fr. tube or L. tubus.