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

Abu Dhabi has sent tankers through the strait with their transponders turned off to evade Iranian surveillance, and used a pipeline to Fujairah that bypasses the chokepoint. — Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 1 July 2026

By firing on or threatening to strike any ships that had not sought its permission, Iran effectively closed this major shipping lane, through which a fifth of the world's oil had typically passed in tankers. — Joanne Stocker, CBS News, 1 July 2026

For Israel, deployments like those tankers at Ben Gurion could pose temporary headaches. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Iran twice attacked vessels in the strait — including a tanker filled with Qatari crude — and drew retaliatory American airstrikes. — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 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