tank car

noun

: a railroad car for transporting liquids or gases in bulk

Examples of tank car in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Norfolk Southern contractors advised emergency responders to breach the five tank cars, drain the contents and then set fire to the tens of thousands of gallons of vinyl chloride inside. Shradha Dinesh, NPR, 3 Feb. 2025 Struggling to contain the fire, officials feared five tank cars carrying vinyl chloride were in danger of exploding. Shradha Dinesh, NPR, 3 Feb. 2025 Soon after, firefighters clad with gas masks and full personal protective equipment arrived on scene to mitigate the leak, which developed a full vapor plume spewing from the top of the tank car. Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 27 Sep. 2024 Federal investigators confirmed Tuesday that a hot railcar wheel bearing sparked a fire and caused the massive derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying tank cars with hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 25 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for tank car

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tank car was in 1862

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tank car.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tank%20car. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on tank car

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!