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ship

n. · v.
US //ˈʃɪp// UK //ʃˈɪp// ship
  1. 1 large boat (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a large boat that travels across deep water like the ocean.

    a large water-borne vessel, typically distinguished from a boat by its size, weight, and capacity for deep-water navigation.

    Example

    The huge cargo ship carried thousands of containers across the Atlantic.

    Example

    The cruise ship docked at the harbour at dawn, allowing thousands of passengers to disembark for a day of sightseeing.
  2. 2 spacecraft (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Science

    a vehicle used for traveling in space.

    a vehicle designed for travel or operation in outer space; often a clipping of 'spaceship'.

    Example

    In the movie, the alien ship landed silently in the middle of the desert.

    Example

    Engineers monitored the ship's trajectory closely as it prepared to enter the planet's atmosphere.
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  1. 3 fictional couple (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal

    a romantic relationship between two characters in a story that fans support.

    a fictional romantic relationship between characters, especially one promoted or discussed by fans.

    Example

    My favorite ship in the series is the hero and his rival.

    Example

    The writers eventually made the popular fan ship canon in the final season, much to the delight of the online community.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a clipping of 'relationship' used specifically in fandom contexts.
  2. 4 to send a package (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to send a physical item to someone, usually by mail or a delivery service.

    to transport or transmit goods via any carrier or medium.

    Example

    The company will ship your order within three business days.

    Example

    Due to the global supply chain crisis, the manufacturer was unable to ship the components until late September.
  3. 5 to release software (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Computing

    to make a new product or software available for people to buy or use.

    to release a finished product, particularly software or digital media, to customers or the general public.

    Example

    The team worked all night to make sure the app was ready to ship on Monday.

    Example

    The studio decided to ship the game despite several known bugs, intending to fix them with a day-one patch.
  4. 6 to support a couple (v.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal

    to want two characters in a story to be in a romantic relationship.

    to support or advocate for a romantic pairing between two characters in a fictional work.

    Example

    I really ship those two characters because they have great chemistry.

    Example

    Fans began to ship the two leads after the first episode, despite the show's creators insisting they were just friends.
Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sek-? Proto-Indo-European *-éyti Proto-Indo-European *skey-der.? Proto-Germanic *skipą Proto-West Germanic *skip Old English scip Middle English schip English ship From Middle English ship, schip, from Old English sċip, from Proto-West Germanic skip, from Proto-Germanic skipą, from Proto-Indo-European skēyb-, skib-. More at shift. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian skip, Dutch schip, German Schiff, Yiddish שיף (shif), Danish skib, Norwegian skip, Swedish skepp. Related also to Lithuanian skiẽbti (“to rip up”), Latvian škibît (“to cut, lop”). Compare typologically boat, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-.

Etymology 2

From Middle English schippen, schipen, from Old English sċipian, from Proto-West Germanic skipōn, from Proto-Germanic skipōną, from Proto-Germanic *skipą (“ship”). Doublet of equip.

Etymology 3

Clipping of relationship.

Word family
Idioms6 entries

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