Standard Lemma guide

intubate

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɪntʃʊbeɪt/ yod-coalescence
  • /ˈɪntʃəbeɪt/ yod-coalescence
  • /ˈɪntjʊbeɪt/ non-yod-coalescence
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ˈɪntʊbeɪt/ General American, yod-dropping
  • /ˈɪntəbeɪt/ General American, yod-dropping

1

verb

Meaning 1

To insert a tube into.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: medicine, sciences

Examples

  • The doctor is about to intubate the patient's trachea.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

introduce a cannula or tube into

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Cannulate the blood vessel in the neck

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cannulate, cannulize, cannulise, canulate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: insert, infix, enter, introduce

History

Etymology

From in- + tube + -ate (verb-forming suffix). First appears c. 1612 in the publications of Simon Sturtevant.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: intubatu — to insert a tube into
  • Catalan: intubar — to insert a tube into
  • Chinese Mandarin: 插管於 /插管于 — to insert a tube into
  • Chinese Mandarin: 插管於 /插管于 (chāguǎn yú) — to insert a tube into
  • Finnish: intuboida — to insert a tube into
  • French: intuber — to insert a tube into
  • German: intubieren — to insert a tube into
  • Greek: διασωληνώνω (diasolinóno) — to insert a tube into
  • Italian: intubare — to insert a tube into
  • Luxembourgish: intubéieren — to insert a tube into
  • Polish: intubować — to insert a tube into
  • Portuguese: entubar — to insert a tube into
  • Russian: интуби́ровать (intubírovatʹ) — to insert a tube into
  • Spanish: intubar — to insert a tube into
  • Turkish: entübe etmek — to insert a tube into
  • Vietnamese: luồn ống — to insert a tube into