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tanker

American  
[tang-ker] / ˈtæŋ kər /

noun

  1. a ship, airplane, or truck designed for bulk shipment of liquids or gases.

  2. a tank trailer or tank truck.

verb (used with object)

  1. to transport by tanker.

tanker British  
/ ˈtæŋkə /

noun

  1. a ship, lorry, or aeroplane designed to carry liquid in bulk, such as oil

"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

Etymology

Origin of tanker

First recorded in 1895–1900; tank + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Rich Starry, a sanctioned Chinese oil and chemical tanker, masked its exact location in the Persian Gulf for more than 10 days before leaving through the Strait of Hormuz this week.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

A report from Reuters found that the tanker Rich Starry ran the blockade after first appearing to turn around in the Strait.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Continued attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East and ongoing restrictions on tanker movements through the strait have led to the “largest disruption in history,” it said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

A Chinese tanker, the Rich Starry, also crossed the strait overnight from Monday to Tuesday via the Iranian-approved vetting route south of Larak Island.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Something had awakened him and he lay listening, his senses keyed and alert, the memory of the tanker fresh in his mind.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.