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

Control of the island would cut off the oil revenue Iran has been reaping, as its tankers would no longer be able to use the Strait of Hormuz. —Jamie McIntyre, The Washington Examiner, 26 Mar. 2026

In the emerging energy system, power flows not only through pipelines and tankers but also through transmission cables, semiconductor supply chains, and the capital markets that finance infrastructure. —Derek Chollet, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026

Waging drone strikes on tankers and issuing threats of laying sea mines, Iran has effectively shut down the narrow body of water through which a fifth of the world’s supply of oil and natural gas flows. —Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026

Roughly one-fifth of global oil supply passes through the strait, but attacks on ships have stopped nearly all tanker traffic. —Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 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