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

But stone vamp queens are only the tip of Anne Rice’s freaky vampire iceberg. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 May 2026

That seems to be the bigger issue here; the underlying iceberg that has snagged your confidence. —Literary Hub, 21 May 2026

But Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed almost immediately veers off into wild subplots about murder, corruption, and corporate malfeasance, as if to emphasize that low-level romance scams are just the tip of the internet’s fetid iceberg. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026

The icebergs, the porpoising penguins, the whale spouts visible from the deck—the sensory experience accumulated quickly into something overwhelming. —Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 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