iceberg

IPA/ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/
KK[ˈaɪsbɚɡ]IPA/ˈaɪsbɜːrɡ/

iceberg — noun

  • icebergsingular
  • icebergsplural

1. a massive block of ice that drifts on the ocean after breaking away from a glaci

1.nounB1
Definition

a massive block of ice that drifts on the ocean after breaking away from a glacier; most of its bulk remains hidden beneath the water's surface

Example

Ships sailing in the North Atlantic must watch carefully for icebergs that could damage them.

countable — often used in the plural

The Titanic struck an iceberg on its first voyage and sank into the cold ocean.

Common collocations
  • hit/strike an iceberg
  • iceberg + breaks off / calves
  • iceberg + melts
  • iceberg + drifts
  • iceberg field
Synonyms
  • ice floe

    a much smaller, flat sheet of free-floating ice, not a tall, deep block like an iceberg

  • ice shelf

    a thick platform of ice still attached to a coastline, not free-floating like an iceberg

Usage Note

Only about one-ninth of an iceberg's volume is visible above water — the rest lies below the surface. This fact is the origin of the idiom 'the tip of the iceberg'.

Common Mistakes

The glacier floated in the sea.
The iceberg floated in the sea.
A glacier is a slow-moving mass of ice on land; an iceberg is the piece that breaks off and floats in the sea.

2. a type of round, tightly packed lettuce with crisp, pale-green leaves, commonly

2.nounB1
Definition

a type of round, tightly packed lettuce with crisp, pale-green leaves, commonly used in salads and on sandwiches

Example

Rodrigo tore some iceberg lettuce into pieces and added it to the salad bowl.

uncountable use: 'some iceberg lettuce'

Many hamburgers are served with a slice of iceberg lettuce for extra crunch.

collocation: 'a slice of iceberg lettuce'

Common collocations
  • iceberg lettuce
  • head of iceberg lettuce
  • iceberg salad
  • slice of iceberg lettuce
Synonyms
  • crisphead lettuce

    the botanical category that iceberg lettuce belongs to; more technical

  • romaine

    a different type of lettuce with tall, oblong leaves rather than a round, tight head

Usage Note

In everyday speech, people often shorten 'iceberg lettuce' to just 'iceberg' (e.g., 'Could you buy some iceberg for the salad?'). It remains a countable noun when referring to whole heads: 'I bought two icebergs.'

Common Mistakes

I bought an iceberg from the market.' (meaning lettuce — possible but ambiguous out of context)
I bought a head of iceberg lettuce from the market.
Use 'head of' or the full name to avoid confusion with the frozen-sea meaning.
Idioms

the tip of the iceberg

idiom

used to describe a situation where what you can see or know about a problem is only a small part of something much larger and more serious that remains hidden

The few cases of bullying that parents reported are only the tip of the iceberg.

The company's recent losses are just the tip of the iceberg of a much deeper financial crisis.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

An iceberg is a large, tall block of ice that has broken off a glacier and floats freely in the sea, with most of its mass underwater. An ice floe is much smaller, thinner, and flat — a floating sheet of ice, not a towering block. A glacier is a massive river of ice that moves slowly over land; it does not float. An ice shelf is a thick platform of ice that remains attached to a coastline, so it is not free-floating like an iceberg. For example: 'The ship passed between several icebergs, each towering above the deck.' VS 'A wide ice floe covered the harbour entrance.' VS 'The glacier carved a valley as it moved downhill.'

ice floeglacier ↗ice shelf

Common collocations

Phrases

Etymology

DutchDanishEnglish

Iceberg comes from the Dutch word ijsberg, made up of ijs (ice) and berg (mountain). English borrowed it in the 1700s from Dutch and Danish sailors who encountered these huge ice structures in the North Atlantic. The lettuce was named 'iceberg' in the 1920s because the tightly wrapped heads looked pale and icy, similar to an iceberg, when packed in ice for shipping.