Definition of "iceberg" in English

noun

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.]

   • The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.

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.

   • 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.