Phrase guide

vacuum tube

noun · 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A type of electron tube that controls electron current through vacuum between electrodes within a sealed container, usually of glass or metal and often designed to be easily installed in and removed from the equipment in which it is used.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

electronic device consisting of a system of electrodes arranged in an evacuated glass or metal envelope

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tube, thermionic vacuum tube, thermionic tube, electron tube, thermionic valve

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electronic device

Narrower terms: acorn tube, diode, rectifying tube, rectifying valve, electron multiplier, gas-discharge tube, klystron, magnetron, pentode, television-camera tube, television pickup tube, tetrode, triode, X-ray tube

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: vàlvula — electrical device
  • Catalan: tub de buit — electrical device
  • Chinese Mandarin: 真空管 (zhēnkōngguǎn) — electrical device
  • Chinese Mandarin: 電子管 /电子管 (diànzǐguǎn) — electrical device
  • Czech: elektronka — electrical device
  • Danish: elektronrør — electrical device
  • Danish: radiorør — electrical device
  • Danish: forstærkerrør — electrical device
  • Dutch: elektronenbuis — electrical device
  • Dutch: radiobuis — electrical device
  • Dutch: vacuümbuis — electrical device
  • Esperanto: vakutubo — electrical device
  • Finnish: elektroniputki — electrical device
  • Finnish: tyhjiöputki — electrical device
  • French: tube électronique — electrical device
  • French: tube à vide — electrical device
  • Georgian: ელექტრონის ლამპა (elekṭronis lamṗa) — electrical device
  • German: Elektronenröhre — electrical device
  • Irish: folúsfheadán — electrical device
  • Italian: valvola termoionica — electrical device
  • Japanese: 真空管 (shinkūkan) — electrical device
  • Korean: 진공관 (jin'gonggwan) — electrical device
  • Latvian: elektronu lampa — electrical device
  • Norwegian: radiorør — electrical device
  • Polish: lampa próżniowa — electrical device
  • Portuguese: válvula termiônica — electrical device
  • Portuguese: válvula — electrical device
  • Romanian: tub electronic — electrical device
  • Russian: ла́мпа (lámpa) — electrical device
  • Serbo-Croatian: elektronka — electrical device
  • Serbo-Croatian: elektronska cijev — electrical device
  • Serbo-Croatian: vakuumska cijev — electrical device
  • Swedish: elektronrör — electrical device
  • Swedish: radiorör — electrical device
  • Swedish: rör — electrical device
  • Tagalog: awanging tubo — electrical device
  • Thai: หลอดสุญญากาศ — electrical device
  • Thai: หลอดวิทยุ — electrical device
  • Ukrainian: електрова́куумна ла́мпа (elektrovákuumna lámpa) — electrical device
  • Ukrainian: електро́нна ла́мпа (elektrónna lámpa) — electrical device
  • Ukrainian: ла́мпа (lámpa) — electrical device
  • Ukrainian: радіола́мпа (radiolámpa) — electrical device
  • Vietnamese: ống chân không — electrical device
  • Welsh: tiwb gwactod — electrical device