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

Data from analytics platform Kpler showed that in the two weeks after the Martinez refinery shut down, two tankers laden with gasoline set sail from the Jamnagar refinery complex and reached the Olympus Terminal in the Port of Long Beach in March 2025. —Aaron Cantú, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026

Fossil fuels tie every economy to the same fragile web of pipelines, tankers, and narrow straits. —Jennifer Granholm, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

Windward said more than two dozen tankers are confined west of Hormuz as of Wednesday, with the blockade cutting Iranian oil loadings and exports by more than half. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026

According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, the Idemitsu Maru tanker departed from Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura industrial port on April 17. —CBS News, 28 Apr. 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