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

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Etymology

Origin of iceberg

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

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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

But this was just the tip of the iceberg for Jamie Adams, who also managed to get singing icon Kylie Minogue and rapper RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan to Porthcawl for his new movie.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

A massive cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg from Taylor Farms de Mexico prompted recalls extending from Taco Bell kitchens to supermarket produce aisles.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

Beyaz believes the discoveries represent only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to finding new ways to strengthen cancer immunotherapy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Chief Executive Bruce Taylor said the company won’t sell iceberg lettuce in the U.S. or Canada that was harvested or processed in the region between May 1 and Aug. 31, starting next year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It can be the tiny tip of the iceberg or the whole hundred per cent.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

Von der Leyen's tour included a boat trip among icebergs, meetings with top Greenlandic and Danish officials and the signing a joint statement between Greenland and the European Union.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

However, these were consistently located 60–80 kilometres from the waterfront, so they are not likely to have been caused by capsizing icebergs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Although Antarctica is the largest ice sheet on Earth, direct evidence of glacial earthquakes caused by capsizing icebergs there has been elusive.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The ice cubes were miniature icebergs, the kind that sink ships in the Arctic Ocean.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

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Related Words

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