vacuum tube

noun

: an electron tube evacuated to a high degree of vacuum

Examples of vacuum tube in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Would-be buyers of older setups should know that most consumer electronics from the early solid-state era—the mid-1960s into the ’80s, when transistors appeared to be the death knell for vacuum tubes—sounded awful then and sound even worse today. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2025 Included Accessories Generally, handheld leaf mulchers come with a vacuum tube and leaf collection bag. Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2025 However, developments in vacuum tube technology have made the concept more viable. Aron Solomon, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024 The vacuum also has two wheels underneath it, which helps move it around since the vacuum tube is bigger than the blower tube. Sandi Schwartz, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vacuum tube 

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vacuum tube was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near vacuum tube

Cite this Entry

“Vacuum tube.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacuum%20tube. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

vacuum tube

noun
: an electron tube from which most of the air has been removed

Medical Definition

vacuum tube

noun
: an electronic device in which conduction by electrons takes place through a vacuum within a sealed glass or metal container and which has various uses based on the controlled flow of electrons

More from Merriam-Webster on vacuum tube

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