tub
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A flat-bottomed vessel, of width similar to or greater than its height, used for storing or packing things, or for washing things in.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tuhbIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtʌb
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A flat-bottomed vessel, of width similar to or greater than its height, used for storing or packing things, or for washing things in.
A bathtub.
The contents or capacity of such a vessel.
Any of various historically designated quantities of goods to be sold by the tub (butter, oysters, etc).
A small cask.
verb
transitive
To plant, set, or store in a tub.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A flat-bottomed vessel, of width similar to or greater than its height, used for storing or packing things, or for washing things in.
Used this way, tub is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a nautical use: it is standard at sea and largely unfamiliar ashore.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Sailing/maritime
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use tub
- “The baby loves splashing in the tub during bath time.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.