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

Stringer | Reuters Iran and Oman discussed a proposal to create a temporary, joint shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday as tanker traffic remains sharply below prewar levels. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026

With a state of emergency in place, National Guard tankers and water rationing leave more than 180,000 residents dry for 48-hour stretches, spotlighting El Niño and crumbling infrastructure across the Caribbean territory. — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

These tankers may be turning off their tracking signals to avoid detection, experts told CNN. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

That is up from Politico’s report that Somali pirates had seized at least three tankers carrying oil and fertilizer since April, while a chemical-carrying ship was hijacked off Yemen in July. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Aug. 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