iceberg

[ ahys-burg ]

/ ˈaɪs bɜrg /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR iceberg ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Informal. an emotionally cold person.

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

Nearby words

Idioms

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.

Origin of iceberg

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for iceberg

In Russia, Uganda, and elsewhere around the world, legal change is the tip of the iceberg.
The Uganda Ruling is Good For Everyone But Gays|Jay Michaelson|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The recent botched executions are just the tip of the iceberg.
Why the Death Penalty Needs to Die|Nick Gillespie|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The logic here was a little unsound—if I remember the S.S. Titanic story, “Iceberg” would have been the right name.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man|John Lardner|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As far as cash-grabs go, the VIP pass is only the tip of the iceberg.
Coachella, Oasis For Douchebags and Trust Fund Babies, Should Be Avoided At All Costs|Marlow Stern|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

By 8th grade he was stretching his fingers by building apps for Windows phones—the “tip of the iceberg,” he calls it.
Meet Graham Smith, SnapChat’s 16-Year-Old Nemesis|Nina Strochlic|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An iceberg could not more have chilled me; nor could the cold of an iceberg have been more purely physical.
True Ghost Stories|Hereward Carrington
Does an iceberg write in that strain, we should like to know?
The International Magazine, Vol. IV. New-York, December 1, 1851. No. V.|Various
Through all the wild whirl, straight and erect and commanding was the form of Bob, his face cold and expressionless as an iceberg.
Friday, the Thirteenth|Thomas W. Lawson
I never saw a chap before who seemed cool as an iceberg outside and had a heart of fire in his bosom.
Frank Merriwell's Alarm|Burt L. Standish
While he was dressing Mr. Boxhall looked in and said: We have struck an iceberg, old man; hurry up!
Titanic|Filson Young

British Dictionary definitions for iceberg

iceberg

/ (ˈaɪsbɜːɡ) /

noun

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

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

slang, mainly US a person considered to have a cold or reserved manner

Word Origin for iceberg

C18: probably part translation of Middle Dutch ijsberg ice mountain; compare Norwegian isberg

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for iceberg

iceberg

1774, partial loan-translation of Dutch ijsberg, literally "ice mountain," from ijs "ice" (see ice (n.)) + berg "mountain" (see barrow (n.2)). An earlier term was sea-hill (1690s). Phrase tip of the iceberg, in a figurative sense, first recorded 1962. Iceberg lettuce attested from 1893.

Science definitions for iceberg

iceberg

[ īs′bûrg′ ]

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.

Culture definitions for iceberg

iceberg

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

Note

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.