plural ships
often attributive
1
a
: a large seagoing vessel
b
: a sailing vessel having a bowsprit and usually three masts each composed of a lower mast, a topmast, and a topgallant mast
2
: boat
especially
: one propelled by power or sail
3
: a ship's crew
4
: fortune sense 2
when their ship comes in they'll be able to live in better style
5
see also take ship
shipped; shipping; ships
1
a
: to place or receive on board a ship for transportation by water
b
: to cause to be transported
shipped him off to prep school
2
obsolete
: to provide with a ship
3
: to put in place for use
ship the tiller
4
: to take into a ship or boat
ship the gangplank
5
: to engage for service on a ship
6
: to take (water) over the side
—used of a boat or a ship
1
: to embark on a ship
2
a
: to go or travel by ship
—often used with out
b
: to proceed by ship or other means under military orders
—often used with out
3
: to engage to serve on shipboard
4
: to be sent for delivery
the order will ship soon
shipped; shipping; ships
informal
: to wishfully regard (specific people or fictional characters) as being or having the potential to become romantically involved with one another
Naturally, their followers gushed … and started shipping them all over again. "Please be back together," one user commented …—
Alyssa Morin
Alyssa MorinThe Office's on-and-off pairing remained so tantalizingly close after the series wrapped in 2013 that even [Mindy] Kaling gets why people are still shipping them.—Sarah Grossbart
Sarah GrossbartSean Astin, who portrayed Bob Newby, the love interest of Ryder's character, Joyce Byers, in season 2, told Us Weekly exclusively earlier this month that he hopes Jim and Joyce will end up together. "I've shipped them since the beginning," the 49-year-old declared.—Samantha Leffler
Samantha LefflerOne close friendship does develop between two girls, and while fans of other Dreamworks shows like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power may start shipping them, budding romance at this point is only wishful thinking.—Alana Joli Abbott
Alana Joli AbbottHow does one even begin to write about Anne and Diana? … Megan Followes herself ships them.—Danny M. Lavery
Danny M. Lavery1
: state : condition : quality
friendship
2
: office : dignity : profession
clerkship
3
: art : skill
horsemanship
4
: something showing, exhibiting, or embodying a quality or state
township
fellowship
5
: one entitled to a (specified) rank, title, or appellation
his Lordship
6
: the body of persons participating in a specified activity
readership
listenership
Synonyms
Examples of ship in a Sentence
Noun
the captain of the ship
He will travel by ship.
Verb (1)
The goods were shipped from a foreign port.
Your order is expected to ship soon.
The company will ship its new software next month.
The software will ship next month.
The soldiers were shipped overseas for duty.
When the waves increased, the boat began shipping water.
Recent Examples on the WebJamie Lang, Variety, 16 May 2024
The ship is expected to be refloated and guided back to the Port of Baltimore in the coming days.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Young had his quirks, too, but the mess on offense felt more like a reflection of the ecosystem around the young quarterback as opposed to the inexperienced signal-caller bringing the ship down.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2024
Two incidents took place while the ship was docked in Baltimore, the NTSB said.
—Sam Sweeney, ABC News, 14 May 2024
Minutes later, the ship struck a bridge support, sending the structure crashing down.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 14 May 2024
The Dali's 21-member crew will shelter in place aboard the ship while the explosives are detonated.
—NPR, 12 May 2024
The ship will set sail on Feb. 3, 2025, and return to port on Valentine’s Day.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 3 May 2024
The ship provides a self-serve buffet on the Lido deck, which is a clothes-free area.
—Miami Herald Archive, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Keith Pandolfi, Saveur, 15 May 2024
After the father, Nathan (Paul Winfield), is arrested for stealing ham and shipped off to an unknown work camp, eldest son David Lee (Kevin Hooks) takes a journey with the family dog, Sounder, to try and find him.
—Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 14 May 2024
Any user experience makeover inevitably brings many questions, and shipping with a lengthy list of missing features was always going to cause consternation among longtime customers.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 14 May 2024
This week, a new whistleblower from Spirit AeroSystems came forward, alleging that the Boeing supplier regularly shipped fuselages with defective parts.
—Clay Chandler, Fortune, 10 May 2024
Each fixture is made to order and will ship from makers’ studios.
—Caitie Kelly Alexander Lobrano Jinnie Lee Roxanne Fequiere Camille Sojit Pejcha Juan A. Ramírez, New York Times, 9 May 2024
They weren't focused on the consequences of shipping bad fuselages.
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024
The rest of the family was shipped off to an internment camp in Poston, Ariz., during the war.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
Two of China’s ambassadors abroad have already indicated that Taiwanese opposed to Beijing rule will be shipped off to concentration camps.
—Eryk Michael Smith, Fox News, 4 May 2024
Noun
While on the ship taking them across the Atlantic, Emilie falls for Omar, a Muslim merchant.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 16 May 2024
The ship is expected to be refloated and guided back to the Port of Baltimore in the coming days.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Young had his quirks, too, but the mess on offense felt more like a reflection of the ecosystem around the young quarterback as opposed to the inexperienced signal-caller bringing the ship down.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 May 2024
Two incidents took place while the ship was docked in Baltimore, the NTSB said.
—Sam Sweeney, ABC News, 14 May 2024
Minutes later, the ship struck a bridge support, sending the structure crashing down.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 14 May 2024
The Dali's 21-member crew will shelter in place aboard the ship while the explosives are detonated.
—NPR, 12 May 2024
The ship will set sail on Feb. 3, 2025, and return to port on Valentine’s Day.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 3 May 2024
The ship provides a self-serve buffet on the Lido deck, which is a clothes-free area.
—Miami Herald Archive, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Verb
In Kentucky, Mary Berry explained, calves typically stay with their mothers for six months until they’re weaned and shipped off to feedlots.
—Keith Pandolfi, Saveur, 15 May 2024
After the father, Nathan (Paul Winfield), is arrested for stealing ham and shipped off to an unknown work camp, eldest son David Lee (Kevin Hooks) takes a journey with the family dog, Sounder, to try and find him.
—Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 14 May 2024
Any user experience makeover inevitably brings many questions, and shipping with a lengthy list of missing features was always going to cause consternation among longtime customers.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 14 May 2024
This week, a new whistleblower from Spirit AeroSystems came forward, alleging that the Boeing supplier regularly shipped fuselages with defective parts.
—Clay Chandler, Fortune, 10 May 2024
Each fixture is made to order and will ship from makers’ studios.
—Caitie Kelly Alexander Lobrano Jinnie Lee Roxanne Fequiere Camille Sojit Pejcha Juan A. Ramírez, New York Times, 9 May 2024
They weren't focused on the consequences of shipping bad fuselages.
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 9 May 2024
The rest of the family was shipped off to an internment camp in Poston, Ariz., during the war.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
Two of China’s ambassadors abroad have already indicated that Taiwanese opposed to Beijing rule will be shipped off to concentration camps.
—Eryk Michael Smith, Fox News, 4 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ship
Cite this Entry
“Ship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ship. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ship
1 of 3 nounship
2 of 3 verb
shipped; shipping
1
a
: to place or receive on board a ship for transportation by water
b
: to cause to be transported
had her boxes shipped home
2
: to take into a ship or boat
ship oars
3
: to sign on as a crew member of a ship
4
: to take in (as water) over the side
-ship
3 of 3 noun suffixˌship
1
: state : condition : quality
friendship
apprenticeship
2
: position : office : duties
professorship
3
: art : skill : activity
horsemanship
penmanship
4
: one having or entitled to be called by a (specified) title
his Lordship
her Ladyship
5
: the whole body of persons included in a class
a large readership
Etymology
Noun suffix
Old English -scipe "condition, something having a certain quality"
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