picture tube: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowTechnical, Historical
Quick answer
What does “picture tube” mean?
The cathode-ray tube inside a television set that creates the displayed image.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The cathode-ray tube inside a television set that creates the displayed image.
A dated term for the primary component of a traditional television or monitor, a large vacuum tube that produces images when electrons strike a phosphorescent screen. By extension, can refer to the television set itself (metonymically).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Both regions used the term for the same component, though it is equally obsolete in both.
Connotations
Evokes mid-to-late 20th-century technology. May imply bulkiness and a bygone era of electronics.
Frequency
Rare in contemporary speech in both dialects. Slightly more likely to appear in American English in nostalgic contexts (e.g., 'old picture tube'), but the difference is marginal.
Grammar
How to Use “picture tube” in a Sentence
The [adjective] picture tube [verb, e.g., failed, flickered].to replace the picture tube in the [noun, e.g., television, set]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “picture tube” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The old telly needs its picture tube replacing.
- He spent the afternoon trying to picture-tube the vintage set.
American English
- We need to picture-tube that old console TV.
- He's an expert at picture-tubing classic televisions.
adjective
British English
- It was a picture-tube era television.
- The picture-tube technology is now obsolete.
American English
- The picture-tube display had a warm glow.
- It's a picture-tube repair specialty shop.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Obsolete. Might appear in asset disposal contexts for outdated equipment.
Academic
Used in historical studies of technology, media studies, or the history of television.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Used by older generations or when specifically discussing repairing/remembering old TVs.
Technical
Precise term for the specific CRT component in vintage television repair manuals or discussions.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “picture tube”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “picture tube”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “picture tube”
- Using 'picture tube' to refer to a modern flat-screen TV.
- Misspelling as 'picture cube' or 'picture tab'.
- Assuming it is still a current, active term.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, 'picture tube' is the common term for the cathode-ray tube (CRT) used in televisions and older computer monitors.
New picture tubes are extremely rare, as manufacturing ceased years ago. They are only found through specialist suppliers of vintage parts or salvaged from old sets.
They were made of thick glass to contain a vacuum and shield against X-ray emissions, and contained numerous internal components like the electron gun and shadow mask.
With modern TVs, people refer to the 'screen', 'display', or 'panel' (e.g., LCD screen, LED display). The specific component term is no longer needed.
The cathode-ray tube inside a television set that creates the displayed image.
Picture tube is usually technical, historical in register.
Picture tube: in British English it is pronounced /ˈpɪk.tʃə ˌtjuːb/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈpɪk.tʃɚ ˌtuːb/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “The picture tube went south.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the 'tube' as the bulky, tubular glass part of an old TV that showed the 'picture'.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MIND/EYE IS A CONTAINER (the 'tube' contains and projects the image/world). TECHNOLOGY IS AN ORGANISM (the tube can 'die', 'fail', 'blow').
Practice
Quiz
What has primarily made the term 'picture tube' obsolete?