tanker

/ˈtæŋkə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈæŋkɚ] /ˈtæŋkər/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈæŋkɚ] /ˈtaŋ-kər How to pronounce tanker (audio)/ (ame, mw)

tanker — noun

  • tankersingular
  • tankersplural

1. A large ship, truck, or railway carriage built to carry liquids or gases in bulk

1.名詞B1
釋義

A large ship, truck, or railway carriage built to carry liquids or gases in bulk — most often oil, petrol, natural gas, or chemicals.

例句

A Japanese oil tanker hit a coral reef near the port; crews arrived within hours.

collocation: oil tanker

The tanker truck brought fresh milk from the dairy farm to the plant every morning.

同義詞
  • oil tanker

    specifically for crude oil or petroleum products; the most frequent type

  • cargo ship

    broader term; carries any kind of freight, not just liquids

  • tank truck

    the road-vehicle equivalent of a maritime tanker

用法筆記

When used alone, 'tanker' most often refers to an oil tanker — the type most commonly discussed in news. Specify the cargo (LNG tanker, chemical tanker, milk tanker) when the context is not about crude oil.

常見錯誤

The tanker carried boxes of electronics.
The tanker carried crude oil across the ocean.
💡Tankers transport liquids or gases, not dry packaged goods.

2. A soldier who operates or serves as a crew member of an armoured military tank.

2.名詞B2
釋義

A soldier who operates or serves as a crew member of an armoured military tank.

例句

Tunde served as a tanker for two years, learning to repair engines in the field.

The tankers trained together every morning, practising how to coordinate their movements across rough ground.

plural: tankers = members of a tank crew

同義詞
  • tank commander

    the senior member of a tank crew, not any crew member

  • gunner

    the crew member who operates the main cannon

  • armoured crewman

    formal military title; used in official documentation

常見錯誤

The tanker drove the petrol to the station.
The tanker refuelled his tank during combat training.
💡The first sentence uses sense 1 (vehicle), not sense 2 (soldier). Readers may misread the word if the context of armed combat is absent.