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

In the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait — where clashes have intensified in recent weeks — data shows at least 45 vessels crossed, including eight tankers and eight cargo ships going to the Gulf of Aden. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

The tanker was loaded with about 8,500 gallons in it, and about 2,000 gallons spilled onto the street, into storm drains and into the waterways of Jamaica Bay, according to Uttaro. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026

Trade routes such as the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia depend on export via tankers in the Red Sea, some analysts said, meaning any potential escalation of fighting in that area could shut off its viability as an alternative trade route. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Abu Dhabi is expanding a pipeline to Fujairah that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, while some of its tankers are managing to slip through the waterway, helping ADNOC maintain and sometimes even exceed prewar flows. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 17 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