tanker

noun

tank·​er ˈtaŋ-kər 

1

a

: a cargo ship fitted with tanks for carrying liquid in bulk

b

: a vehicle on which a tank is mounted to carry fluids

also : a cargo airplane for transporting fuel

2

: a member of a military tank crew

Examples of tanker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump’s assurance of safe passage of tankers in the Strait of Hormuz calmed market jitters initially, though shares in Dubai and Abu Dhabi opened sharply down after markets resumed trading for the first time since the war began. —Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026

The tanker was under Western sanctions, suspected to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet of energy tankers trying to bypass sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. —Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026

Its map shows oil and gas tankers clustering just outside of the strait. —Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026

Korea imports nearly all its fossil fuels, including oil and natural gas, all of it brought in by tanker. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tanker

• oil tanker

Rhymes for tanker

• anchor
• anker
• banker
• canker
• hanker
• rancor
• shanker

Kids Definition

tanker

noun

tank·​er ˈtaŋ-kər 

: a vehicle (as a ship, truck, or aircraft) designed for the transportation of liquids