oilberg

O1I1L1B3E1R1G2

noun

A supertanker that transports oil.

Scrabble 10

Meanings

nounoilberg (plural oilbergs)

plural oilbergs

  1. 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 46
    1 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

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Cite this entry
APA

oilberg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oilberg

MLA

“oilberg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oilberg. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oilberg,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oilberg.

Source: oilberg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.