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 there is an iceberg effect in play — that while these are the most visible, the mechanisms which facilitate top-level fixing are reliant on lower-level sports. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Like icebergs, the top portion of an ant hill is just the beginning, and ant hills can extend several feet beneath the soil surface. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2026

Companies like ours are the very tip of an iceberg. —Rob Collie, Fortune, 29 May 2026

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