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

• cold fish
• cold turkey
• icicle

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

The ship struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. the evening of April 14 at a speed of 20 knots and slipped below the surface at 2:20 a.m. the following morning, according to the National Museum of American History. More than 1,500 people died. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025

Just before midnight on April 14, 2012, the vessel sideswiped an iceberg. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2025

At 11:40 pm ship's time on April 14, 1912, Titanic hit that infamous iceberg and began taking on water, flooding five of its 16 watertight compartments, thereby sealing its fate. —ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2025

One key finding is a visibly open steam valve, which corroborates accounts that engineers manned their stations in Boiler Room Two for more than two hours after Titanic hit the iceberg. —Jack Guy, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025

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