tube worm

noun

: a worm that lives in a tube (as one composed of sand grains or calcium carbonate) : such as

a

: any of various polychaetes or oligochaetes

b(1)

: pogonophoran

(2)

: vestimentiferan

Examples of tube worm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The giant tube worm, or Riftia pachyptila, thrives in the shadow of oceanic volcanoes—anchored to hydrothermal vents along mid-ocean ridges. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024

But for the giant tube worm, home is where the heat is. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024

Ocean secrets The arms of an underwater robot helped uncover communities of giant tube worms and snails living in volcanic caves beneath warm vents in the Pacific Ocean. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024

Overturning small portions of Earth’s crust revealed tiny tube worm larvae as well as some tube worms that reached 1.6 feet (0.5 meter) long. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024

These hydrothermal vents belch warm towers of elements that draw clusters of animal life, such as tube worms. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024

Particularly impressive are the Animal Flower Cave, home to dramatic rock pools with sea anemones and tube worms, and the cliffside restaurant with local fare and great views. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2024

Hundreds of life forms, including microbes, mussels and tube worms, colonized these structures, thriving near zones of intense pressure and temperatures as hot as 248 degrees Fahrenheit (120 Celsius). —Suzanne Oconnell, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2024

Such tube worm colonies have been documented in the Gulf of Mexico on the steel luxury yacht Anona. —Avery Paxton, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1819, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tube worm

• disaffirm
• ectoderm
• endoderm
• endosperm
• interfirm
• isotherm
• mesoderm
• periderm
• reaffirm
• affirm
• bookworm
• confirm

Kids Definition

tube worm

noun

: a worm that lives in a tube (as one made of sand grains or calcium carbonate): as

a

: any of various land- or water-dwelling worms that are closely related to the earthworms

b

: any of a group of worms that may grow to be 9 feet (3 meters) long, are related to the earthworms, and live on the ocean floor near openings that give off very hot mineral-rich water