tub
/tʌb/ (bre, ipa) · /tʌb/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtəb/ (ame, mw)
tub — noun
1. a big round container with an open top and a flat bottom, used for holding water
a big round container with an open top and a flat bottom, used for holding water, washing clothes, storing things, or growing plants.
Minh filled the tub with cold water and dropped in the muddy boots.
collocation: fill the tub
Anjali planted three rose bushes in a large wooden tub on the balcony.
collocation: plant in a tub
The old metal tub in the laundry room was used for soaking tablecloths.
A huge tub of popcorn sat between them at the cinema.
常見錯誤
2. a small, wide box made of plastic or paper that has a cover; shoppers use it to
a small, wide box made of plastic or paper that has a cover; shoppers use it to hold things they eat, like yoghurt, butter, or ice cream.
Theo grabbed a tub of strawberry yoghurt from the fridge before school.
collocation: a tub of [food]
Greta opened a plastic tub and spooned the leftover soup into it.
collocation: plastic tub
Mira packed her lunch in a small blue tub with a tight-fitting lid.
Daichi packed leftover chicken curry into a microwavable plastic tub and reheated it for lunch the next day.
用法筆記
This sense is very common in everyday shopping and kitchen contexts. In British English, the word 'pot' is more common for yoghurt containers; 'tub' usually refers to a wider, shorter shape.
常見錯誤
3. a large, long basin in a bathroom. You pour warm water into it, climb inside, an
a large, long basin in a bathroom. You pour warm water into it, climb inside, and clean yourself from head to toe.
Kwame ran a hot tub and soaked his tired muscles after the match.
collocation: run a tub (= fill the tub)
The hotel bathroom had a huge white tub with gold-coloured taps.
adjective: huge white tub
Christopher lowered himself slowly into the warm tub and sighed with relief.
Paediatricians warn parents never to leave a toddler alone in a tub full of water, even for a moment.
用法筆記
In everyday British English, 'bath' is more common than 'tub' for this sense. 'Tub' is more frequent in American English and in hotel / product descriptions. The phrase 'run a tub' means to turn on the taps and fill the bathtub.
常見錯誤
4. a prepared bath — the hot water you have let into a bathtub so that you can soak
a prepared bath — the hot water you have let into a bathtub so that you can soak in it, rather than the container itself.
Élise ran a tub for the baby and tested the water with her elbow.
collocation: run a tub for [someone]
By the time Amir came back upstairs from answering the phone, the tub he had drawn had gone cold.
Leila poured bath salts into the steaming tub and stepped in carefully.
Ava ran a hot tub after her long shift and soaked until the water cooled.
- bath
the standard word for the activity of washing in a tub; 'run a bath' is the more common phrase
用法筆記
This sense is closely related to sense 3 (BATHTUB OBJECT) but focuses on the prepared bath water rather than the container itself. 'Run a tub' is the most common phrasing. This sense is primarily British.
tub — verb
1. to give someone else a bath in a tub — for example, washing a child, an elderly
to give someone else a bath in a tub — for example, washing a child, an elderly person, or a pet in a bathtub or a large basin of warm water.
Vinícius soaped the children with a washcloth in the warm tub before putting them to bed.
transitive: tub + object (person)
Nanny Mei-Lin tubbed the toddler in a plastic basin by the fire, as she had for his mother years ago.
transitive with time/place context
Chidi, the night-shift nurse, tubbed the elderly man with a soft washcloth, supporting his back so he would not slip.
Thiago tubbed his daughter in a small portable tub on the kitchen floor while the pasta water boiled.
文法句型
tub + object (give someone a bath in a tub)
用法筆記
This transitive sense (giving someone else a bath) differs from verb sense 3 (BATHE), which is intransitive — you take a bath yourself. Both are now old-fashioned. In modern English, 'give someone a bath', 'have a bath', or 'bathe' are far more common. You may still hear 'tub' in older literature or rural dialects.
常見錯誤
2. to put something into a tub for storage or transportation.
to put something into a tub for storage or transportation.
Every autumn the family's cucumbers were tubbed in a salted brine and left to ferment into pickles in the cellar.
passive: were tubbed in [liquid]
Joon tubbed the loose screws and bolts in large plastic bins and labelled each one clearly.
collocation: tubbed in [container]
The morning catch of mackerel was tubbed in crushed ice and rushed to the harbour market before sunrise.
Greta tubbed the freshly picked apples in wooden crates and stored them in the cellar.
- containerise
more formal and industrial in tone
- pack
more general; does not specify the type of container
文法句型
be tubbed in [container]
tub + object + in/into + container
3. to take a bath yourself in a tub — to climb into a bathtub or basin of water and
to take a bath yourself in a tub — to climb into a bathtub or basin of water and wash your own body from head to toe, rather than giving a bath to someone else.
Karim tubbed with hot water and a bar of lavender soap before dinner every evening.
intransitive: tub with [item]
Grandpa Kim still tubbed daily with Epsom salts, insisting it eased his aching joints better than any modern shower.
adverb: tub daily
Sofia tubbed every Sunday evening with dried lavender in the water and mint tea beside the tub.
In the village the women tubbed at dawn, scrubbing with cold well water before work began.
- bathe
the standard modern verb; can be formal or neutral
- take a bath
the most natural modern phrase in American English
用法筆記
This intransitive sense (taking a bath yourself) contrasts with verb sense 1 (WASH IN TUB), which is transitive — giving a bath to someone else. Both are old-fashioned. The modern equivalent is 'have a bath' or 'take a bath'.
4. to be washed or cleaned, usually by someone else or by a machine, in a tub-like
to be washed or cleaned, usually by someone else or by a machine, in a tub-like container.
The cotton bedsheets tubbed overnight in a basin of soapy water and were hung on the line at sunrise.
intransitive with inanimate subject + soapy water
The lace curtains should tub in a basin of cool water to keep the delicate threads from fraying.
intransitive with basin location
Priya's cashmere sweaters tubbed separately in lukewarm water with a drop of wool shampoo.
Tanvi's work dungarees tubbed in a metal washtub with laundry soap and came out white.
- wash
the standard word; 'tub' in this sense is a rare archaism
用法筆記
This is a very rare, almost obsolete sense. The subject is usually a piece of laundry or fabric, and the sense carries a passive meaning — the item undergoes washing rather than doing the washing. Modern English uses 'wash' or 'be washed' instead.