tanker

1. (nautical) A tankship, a vessel used to transport large quantities of liquid.Examples: "The channel at Chan-chiang is being dredged to a depth of 50 feet enabling tankers of 70,000 tons to call."

2. (automotive, US) A motor truck with a tank to hold bulk liquid (with or without internal baffles).Synonyms: tanker truck, tank truckUS

3. (automotive, UK) A fuel tanker, petrol tanker, road tanker.Examples: "Nor is the government facing a strike by tanker drivers, as was the case in early 1979 during the winter of discontent."UK

4. (aviation, usually military) An aircraft carrying a large supply of jet fuel or avgas for aerial refueling of other aircraft, plus equipment allowing the in-air transfer of fuel.Examples: "Without the KC-46 tankers orbiting in friendly airspace, our fighters would've run out of fuel long before reaching the combat zone."; "On Friday night, eight US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers took off from Altus, Oklahoma, according to data from FlightRadar24. Over Kansas the tankers refueled two groups of planes, identified on air traffic control audio by their callsigns MYTEE11 FLT and MYTEE21 FLT. The callsign MYTEE has previously been associated with special activity flights by B-2 bombers, and multiple flight trackers on social media said the planes being refueled were B-2 bombers out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri."Synonyms: air tanker, tanker aircraftusually

5. (aviation, firefighting) An aircraft built or modified to carry water and/or fire retardant for dropping on wildfires.Examples: "While our ground teams cut firebreaks in the brush, the tankers kept the fire in the mountains at bay with frequent drops of water and retardant."

6. (rail transport) A tank car.