Meanings
plural oilbergs
- informalA supertanker that transports oil.
That is a lot of ship, about the the^([sic]) size of big tankers before they grew so rapidly to become supers, mammoths and oilbergs.
1973, Jeffrey Potter, Disaster by Oil, page 461 more example
With the advent of supertankers — aptly nicknamed "oilbergs" — the danger increases that 300,000 tons or more may be dumped in a single mishap.
1970, LIFE, volume 68, number 8, page 29
Origin
Blend of oil + iceberg, because the greater part of a loaded vessel of this kind is below the water level.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
oilberg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oilberg
“oilberg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oilberg. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oilberg,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oilberg.
Source: oilberg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.