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

Examples of tube worm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 There were tube worms, not the spectacular six-foot Riftia found at the first vents discovered, off the Galápagos--for some reason the organisms at the Juan de Fuca tend to be smaller--but a more modest relative, genus Ridgeia. Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 But Lutz was looking for rich beds of mollusks and forests of tube worms. Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Even in these cold, dark zones, the vents were home to all kinds of living organisms, including giant tube worms, clams, crabs and other species. Suzanne Oconnell, The Conversation, 5 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1819, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tube worm was circa 1819

Dictionary Entries Near tube worm

Cite this Entry

“Tube worm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tube%20worm. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on tube worm

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!