boob tube
noun
1
chiefly US, informal + often disparaging
: television
—usually used with the
She also began walking instead of plopping down in front of the boob tube every night.—
Deborah Gregory
Deborah Gregory2
chiefly British, informal
: tube top
… her stage outfit of camouflage hot pants, over-the-knee boots and a boob tube with the word "love" scrawled across it was a bit much …—Libby Callaway
Libby CallawayExamples of boob tube in a Sentence
They spent the evening in front of the boob tube.
What's on the boob tube tonight?
Recent Examples on the Web
Up-market producer David Susskind railed for four hours about the awfulness of the boob tube.
—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
The boob tube, and the mass dumbification its name implies, is on its way back, if not already here.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2025
Yep, The Munsters and The Addams Family are returning to the boob tube at the same time courtesy of Netflix.
—
Clark Collis,
EW.com,
18 July 2022
Spotted on the likes of Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner, and Bella Hadid, the boob tube is having a 2021 renaissance.
—
Eliza Huber,
refinery29.com,
18 Aug. 2021
But my favorite way to spend a day off is to just veg out and watch the boob tube.
—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
23 June 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
The boob tube, and the mass dumbification its name implies, is on its way back, if not already here.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2025
Yep, The Munsters and The Addams Family are returning to the boob tube at the same time courtesy of Netflix.
—
Clark Collis,
EW.com,
18 July 2022
Spotted on the likes of Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner, and Bella Hadid, the boob tube is having a 2021 renaissance.
—
Eliza Huber,
refinery29.com,
18 Aug. 2021
But my favorite way to spend a day off is to just veg out and watch the boob tube.
—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
23 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“Boob tube.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boob%20tube. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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