iceberg

American  

[ahys-burg] / ˈaɪs bɜrg /

noun

• icebergs
  plural

1. a large floating mass of ice, detached from a glacier and carried out to sea.

2. Informal. an emotionally cold person.

3. Australian Informal. a person who swims or surfs regularly in winter.

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idioms

1. tip of the iceberg, the first hint or revelation of something larger or more complex.

   The new evidence in the case is just the tip of the iceberg.

iceberg British  

/ ˈaɪsbɜːɡ /

noun

1. a large mass of ice floating in the sea, esp a mass that has broken off a polar glacier

2. the small visible part of something, esp a problem or difficulty, that is much larger

3. slang a person considered to have a cold or reserved manner

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iceberg Scientific  

/ īs′bûrg′ /

1. A massive body of floating ice that has broken away from a glacier or ice field. Most of an iceberg lies underwater, but because ice is not as dense as water, about one ninth of it remains above the surface.

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iceberg Cultural  

1. A large piece of ice that has broken away from a glacier at the shore and floated out to sea.

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Discover More

Most of the ice in an iceberg is underwater, leaving only the “tip of the iceberg” visible — a fact that is often alluded to in discussions of subjects in which the most important aspects are hidden from view.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• icebergs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of iceberg

1765–75; half Anglicization, half adoption of Dutch ijsberg ice mountain; cognate with German Eisberg, Swedish isberg

Explanation

An iceberg is a huge chunk of ice that breaks off of a glacier and floats around the ocean. Most of an iceberg is under water and can't be seen; that's how a sneaky iceberg managed to sink the Titanic. Icebergs exist in the coldest waters on the planet — the largest icebergs ever observed have been in Antarctica. An iceberg is blamed in the famous sinking of the Titanic in 1912, and the disaster inspired a new system for tracking and measuring icebergs. Another kind of iceberg is the lettuce, which is crisp and nearly as pale as an actual iceberg. The colloquial "tip of the iceberg" means the smallest hint of a much larger problem.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

iceberg icebergs

Researchers will continue monitoring both Petermann Glacier and the newly formed iceberg using satellite imagery, aerial observations and tracking data.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

Still, sales of iceberg lettuce have fallen 20% over the past four weeks, Moskow said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

John Amos of Skytruth said that the oil visible on the surface may the "tip of the iceberg of the impact environmentally", as heavier components of the oil can sink to the seabed.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In July, FDA traceback and epidemiological evidence linked shredded iceberg lettuce produced by Taylor Farms to a major Cyclospora outbreak.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

A newspaper that is only filled with cold, hard facts is like an iceberg, crushing anything that gets in its way.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements

I instead recall coasting past a flotilla of icebergs in Alaska’s Glacier Bay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Many Antarctic glaciers are tidewater glaciers, meaning they sit on the ocean floor and extend into the sea, where they release icebergs.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026

And because he is the centerpiece of the show, I rely on Noah a lot for guidance and help figuring out how to steer through all the icebergs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026

But beneath the smooth-sailing surface, the icebergs are still there.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

The little black Adélies, with a shocking white ring around their eyes, made a comical sight for the crew as they tobogganed off the icebergs into the water.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• abstract
• candid
• detached
• disinterested
• sober
• unbiased
• unemotional