noun, verb, tubed, tub⋅ing.| 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. | Anatomy, Zoology. any hollow, cylindrical vessel or organ: the bronchial tubes. |
| 4. | Botany.
|
| 5. | inner tube. |
| 6. | Electronics. electron tube. |
| 7. | Informal.
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| 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. |
| 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. |
| 18. | down the tube or tubes, Informal. into a ruined, wasted, or abandoned state or condition. |

| a doughnut-shaped, flexible rubber tube inflated inside a tire to bear the weight of a vehicle. |
| 1. | Also called, especially British, tube, underground. an underground electric railroad, usually in a large city. |
| 2. | Chiefly British. a short tunnel or underground passageway for pedestrians, automobiles, etc.; underpass. |
| 3. | to be transported by a subway: We subwayed uptown. |
tube
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tube (t&oomacr;b, ty&oomacr;b)
n.
A hollow cylinder, especially one that conveys a fluid or functions as a passage.
An anatomical structure or organ having the shape or function of a tube; a duct.
tube
1.
2.
3.
[The Jargon File]
(1996-02-05)