Meaning

(obsolete) The seaward end of a glacier. [18th–19th c.].

Definitions by Sense

1. (obsolete) The seaward end of a glacier. [18th–19th c.]
2. A huge mass of ocean-floating ice which has broken off a glacier or ice shelf [from 19th c.]
3. (US, slang) An aloof person. [from 19th c.]
4. (figuratively, after an adjective) An impending disastrous event whose adverse effects are only beginning to show.
5. (figuratively, slang, chiefly Internet slang) A topic that is more convoluted and fractal than it may seem.

Example Sentences

The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.

Clissold the excellent cook, who should have gone with the motor party, tumbled off a small iceberg and concussed himself while posing or 'ponting' as it had come to be known- Griffith Taylor, with his usual wit, had defined 'to pont' as 'to spend a deuce of a time posing in an uncomfortable position'.

The passengers still on board were keen to watch as Tessa's crew scrambled for their positions, and she heard jokes about icebergs and devil's triangles, and anxious childish queries answered by soothing adult tones.

He has little to lose: at present he will go down in history, alongside George W. Bush, as a skipper who ignored the looming fiscal iceberg.

Near-synonym: rabbit hole

Do some digging into that politician's past life and associates, and you'll see that the iceberg runs deep.

There's a massive iceberg of increasingly crazy fanfics out there based around those two characters.

Word Forms

• icebergs

Synonyms for iceberg

Related Words

When Should You Use Iceberg?

Use iceberg when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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