tube foot

noun

: one of the small flexible tubular processes of most echinoderms that are extensions of the water-vascular system and are used especially in locomotion and grasping

Examples of tube foot in a Sentence

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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.
The new species was identified by its tube feet, microscopic body structures, tentacles and other subtle physical features, the study said. — Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2025 Where their radiating spines converge, urchins have delicate, bulbous skeletons with holes for wriggly tube feet and bumps where spines attach. — Lisa S. Gardiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tube foot was in 1888

Rhymes for tube foot

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tubeflower
tube foot
tube generator
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“Tube foot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tube%20foot. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

tube foot

noun
: one of the tiny tubes of most echinoderms (as a starfish or sea urchin) that are part of the water-vascular system and are used especially in movement and grasping

More from Merriam-Webster on tube foot

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tube foot

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