one's ship comes in
One makes or comes into possession of a significant amount of money.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He plans to buy a boat once his ship comes in.”
“I will treat you to a fancy dinner when my ship comes in.”
“She invested all her savings in that small company, hoping that one day her ship would come in.”
“The young artist worked three jobs while waiting for her ship to come in through a major gallery deal.”
“After years of struggling to make ends meet, he finally received the inheritance that ensured his ship had truly come in.”
The idiom derives from the mercantile practice of shipping goods abroad for sale, a venture that required the investor to await the vessel's return to port before any profit could be realised. Until the ship docked, the merchant possessed only a theoretical fortune; the arrival of the hull in the harbour transformed this potential into liquid capital. The phrase persists as a metaphor for the arrival of long-delayed prosperity, though modern finance has largely replaced the physical horizon with the digital balance sheet.
- 01
abound in one's own sense
To follow one’s own inclinations and opinions.
- 02
ace up one's sleeve
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
- 03
act one's age
To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
- 04
act one's age, not one's shoe size
Synonym of act one's age (“to behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish”).
- 05
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 06
air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
- 07
air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
- 08
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
Last updated August 10, 2026