iceberg

noun

ice·​berg ˈīs-ˌbərg 

1

: a large floating mass of ice detached from a glacier

2

: an emotionally cold person

3

: iceberg lettuce

Synonyms of iceberg

• clam
• icicle
• stick

Examples of iceberg in a Sentence

a brilliant doctor, no doubt, but both patients and staff complain that he is an iceberg

Recent Examples on the Web

Warnings, laments, and odes to renewal were expressed pictorially as dying days under bleeding heavens, belching volcanoes, proud icebergs, lavish rainbows amid spangling, mist-suffusing sunlight and dawns of peace and hope. —Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

But Jim Parsons and Layton Williams all but run away with the evening, finding diabolical laughs as Rose’s helicopter mom and a Tina Turner-esque iceberg. —Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026

Tip of the iceberg, but enough for now. —New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026

That’s what was being asked — for days — after the White Star Line’s famous steamship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably partial translation of Danish or Norwegian isberg, from is ice + berg mountain

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing iceberg

• iceberg lettuce
• the tip of the iceberg
• tip of the iceberg

Kids Definition

iceberg

noun

ice·​berg ˈīs-ˌbərg 

: a large floating mass of ice detached from a glacier