tub

tub — noun

1. a big round container with an open top and a flat bottom, used for holding water

1.nounB1
Definition

a big round container with an open top and a flat bottom, used for holding water, washing clothes, storing things, or growing plants.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • fill the tub
  • plant in a tub
  • a tub of [food/liquid]
  • wooden / metal / plastic tub
Synonyms
  • barrel

    taller and narrower, usually made of curved wooden staves with metal hoops

  • vat

    very large, used for industrial liquids or fermentation, not household use

  • basin

    smaller and shallower, often used for washing hands or dishes

Common Mistakes

He washed the clothes in a bucket tub.
He washed the clothes in a tub.
'bucket' and 'tub' are different shapes; a tub is wider and shallower than a bucket.

2. a small, wide box made of plastic or paper that has a cover; shoppers use it to

2.nounB1
Definition

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.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • a tub of yoghurt / butter / ice cream
  • plastic tub
  • lidded tub
  • microwavable tub
Synonyms
  • container

    a more general term for anything that holds something; less specific to the wide, short shape

  • pot

    used especially for yoghurt in British English; slightly narrower in meaning

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

I bought a tub of milk.
I bought a carton of milk.
milk is usually sold in cartons or bottles, not tubs.

3. a large, long basin in a bathroom. You pour warm water into it, climb inside, an

3.nounA2
Definition

a large, long basin in a bathroom. You pour warm water into it, climb inside, and clean yourself from head to toe.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • run a tub
  • fill the tub
  • in the tub
  • hot / warm tub
  • tub full of water
Synonyms
  • bathtub

    the full, more formal form of the word

  • bath

    the most common word in British English for the container and for the activity

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

I took a tub this morning.
I took a bath this morning.
'take a tub' is not a natural collocation; use 'have a bath' or 'take a bath'.

4. a prepared bath — the hot water you have let into a bathtub so that you can soak

4.nounB2
Definition

a prepared bath — the hot water you have let into a bathtub so that you can soak in it, rather than the container itself.

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • run a tub
  • the tub has gone cold
  • a steaming tub
  • draw a tub
Synonyms
  • bath

    the standard word for the activity of washing in a tub; 'run a bath' is the more common phrase

Usage Note

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

Word family

  • tubful
    nounC1
  • tubby
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Tub, barrel, vat, and bucket are all container words, but they differ in shape, size, and typical use. A tub is wide and shallow with straight sides — think of a laundry tub or a planting tub. A barrel is taller and narrower, with curved sides held together by metal hoops; it is traditionally used for ageing wine or storing oil. A vat is much larger and usually found in industrial settings for brewing, dyeing, or fermenting liquids. A bucket is smaller, with a handle, used to carry water or cleaning liquids. For example: 'He soaked the shirt in a tub of detergent' (wide, shallow), 'The brewery stored ale in oak barrels' (tall, curved), 'Dye was mixed in a stainless steel vat' (huge, industrial), and 'She filled a bucket with soapy water to mop the floor' (portable with handle).

tub ↗barrel ↗vatbucket ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a tub of [food/liquid]
  • fill the tub
  • run a tub
  • tub full of water

Prepositions

  • in a tub
  • into a tub
  • out of a tub

Etymology

Middle DutchMiddle Low GermanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'tub' comes from Middle English 'tubbe', which was borrowed from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch 'tubbe'. These Germanic forms may be related to the Latin word 'tubus' (meaning a tube or pipe), though the connection is uncertain. The word has been used in English since before the 12th century, originally for a round wooden vessel made from staves bound with hoops — the same kind found on old farms and in breweries. Over time, the meaning broadened to include containers made of metal, plastic, and ceramic, as well as the modern bathtub.