Meaning & use
test tube
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A narrow glass container with a rounded bottom and an open top, used in laboratories.
Grammar: Countable: one test tube, two test tubes. Often written as two words, sometimes with a hyphen.
Patterns
- a test tube of something
- in a test tube
- a test-tube baby
The scientist poured the blue liquid into a test tube.
She held the test tube carefully over the flame.
The test tube broke when it fell on the floor.
nouncountable
A baby conceived by in vitro fertilization, often called a test-tube baby.
Grammar: Usually used in the phrase 'test-tube baby'; the hyphen is standard in this sense.
Patterns
- a test-tube baby
Their first child was a test-tube baby.
Test-tube babies are now common thanks to advances in medicine.
Word forms
| plural | test tubes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a test tube of blood
- The nurse filled a test tube of blood for testing.
- hold a test tube
- Hold the test tube with the clamp, not your hand.
- test-tube baby
- The couple decided to try for a test-tube baby.
- test tube rack
- Put the samples in the test tube rack.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vial
- A vial is a small bottle for liquids or medicines, often with a cap; a test tube is open at the top and used mainly in labs.
- sample tube
- Sample tube is a more general term for any tube holding a sample; test tube is the specific glass container.
Commonly confused: test tube or test-tube?
test tube vs test-tube
As an adjective, 'test-tube' means produced by in vitro fertilization (e.g., test-tube baby). As a noun, it is the container.
Practice
The chemist put a few drops of the solution into a ______ to heat it.
Choose one answer.
The correct spelling is 'test tube' (two words). The other options are misspellings or nonstandard forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “test tube”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.