Meaning & use

test tube

noun·Everyday

A thin cylindrical glass container, closed at one end, used to hold small samples in a laboratory.

See it in a sentence

The chemistry student carefully poured the blue liquid into a clean test tube.

Each test tube on the rack contained a slightly different concentration of the solution.

A note on using this word

Often used figuratively in 'test-tube baby,' referring to a child conceived through in vitro fertilization.

Words with a similar meaning

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