ship
1a vessel, especially a large oceangoing one propelled by sails or engines.
Nautical.
a sailing vessel square-rigged on all of three or more masts, having jibs, staysails, and a spanker on the aftermost mast.
Now Rare. a bark having more than three masts.: Compare shipentine.
the crew and, sometimes, the passengers of a vessel: The captain gave shore leave to the whole ship.
an airship, airplane, or spacecraft.
to put or take on board a ship or other means of transportation; to send or transport by ship, rail, truck, plane, etc.
Nautical. to take in (water) over the side, as a vessel does when waves break over it.
to bring (an object) into a ship or boat.
to engage (someone) for service on a ship.
to fix in a ship or boat in the proper place for use.
to place (an oar) in proper position for rowing.: Compare boat (def. 10).
to send away: They shipped the kids off to camp for the summer.
to go on board or travel by ship; embark.
to engage to serve on a ship.
to be sent or transported by ship, rail, truck, plane, etc.: Both packages shipped this morning.
to permit of being transported by any of these means:Fresh raspberries do not ship well.
ship out,
to leave, especially for another country or assignment: He said goodbye to his family and shipped out for the West Indies.
to send away, especially to another country or assignment.
Informal. to quit, resign, or be fired from a job: Shape up or ship out!
Idioms about ship
jump ship,
to escape from a ship, especially one in foreign waters or a foreign port, as to avoid further service as a sailor or to request political asylum.
to withdraw support or membership from a group, organization, cause, etc.; defect or desert: Some of the more liberal members have jumped ship.
run a tight ship, to exercise a close, strict control over a ship's crew, a company, an organization, or the like.
when one's ship comes in / home, when one's fortune is assured: She'll buy a house when her ship comes in.
Origin of ship
1Other words from ship
- ship·less, adjective
- ship·less·ly, adverb
- mis·ship, verb, mis·shipped, mis·ship·ping.
- pre·ship, verb (used with object), pre·shipped, pre·ship·ping.
Words that may be confused with ship
Words Nearby ship
Other definitions for ship (2 of 3)
a romantic relationship between fictional characters, as in fan fiction, or between famous people, whether or not the romance actually exists in the book, show, etc., or in real life:the TV show's most popular ships.
to take an interest in or hope for a romantic relationship between (fictional characters or famous people), whether or not the romance actually exists: I'm shipping those guys—they would make a great couple!
Origin of ship
2Other definitions for -ship (3 of 3)
a native English suffix of nouns denoting condition, character, office, skill, etc.: clerkship; friendship; statesmanship.
Origin of -ship
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ship in a sentence
Greece responded by sending its own ships to trail Turkey’s vessels.
Butterfly Effect: The Next U.S.-Russia Conflict Theater Could be the Mediterranean | Charu Kasturi | September 17, 2020 | OzyEarly in Quantum Reality, Baggott likens science to a ship that travels back and forth over the “Sea of Representation” from the rocky shores of Empirical Reality to the sandy beaches of Metaphysical Reality.
Your Guide to the Many Meanings of Quantum Mechanics - Facts So Romantic | Sabine Hossenfelder | September 3, 2020 | NautilusIn the Americas, there has been a series of recent attacks against oil platforms and ships in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche.
In the DTC world especially it seems like for whatever reason the media buyers are the ones running the ship and making a lot of decisions on strategy.
‘The dollar amount isn’t worth the mental toll’: Confessions of a media buyer on the pressure to keep performance up amid the pandemic | Kristina Monllos | August 25, 2020 | DigidayOne module ferries the crew to the moon’s surface from a larger ship in orbit.
After the captain made the call to abandon ship, 150 people were able to escape on lifeboats lowered by electronic arms.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror | Barbie Latza Nadeau | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNerd Cruise By Adam Rogers, Wired What 800 Nerds on a Cruise ship Taught Me About Life, the Universe, and Snorkeling.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Dec 22-28, 2014 | William Boot | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was one bathroom on the ship, and there were no showers or beds.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees | Barbie Latza Nadeau | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTwo years into an Arctic expedition, they were forced to abandon ship a thousand miles north of Siberia.
The estimated ship date of the gadget is December 2014—perfect timing to say sayonara to smoking forever.
A wise man hateth not the commandments and justices, and he shall not be dashed in pieces as a ship in a storm.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousThe president sat in a chair which came over with the pilgrims in their ship, the Mayflower.
It was more like the boarding of a ship than any land fight I had ever seen or imagined.
My orders ought to have been taken before a single unwounded Officer or man was ferried back aboard ship.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonFancy that enormous shell dropping suddenly out of the blue on to a ship's deck swarming with troops!
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
British Dictionary definitions for ship (1 of 2)
/ (ʃɪp) /
a vessel propelled by engines or sails for navigating on the water, esp a large vessel that cannot be carried aboard another, as distinguished from a boat
nautical a large sailing vessel with three or more square-rigged masts
to place, transport, or travel on any conveyance, esp aboard a ship: ship the microscopes by aeroplane; can we ship tomorrow?
(tr) nautical to take (water) over the side
to bring or go aboard a vessel: to ship oars
(tr often foll by off) informal to send away, often in order to be rid of: they shipped the children off to boarding school
(intr) to engage to serve aboard a ship: I shipped aboard a Liverpool liner
informal (tr) to concede (a goal): Celtic have shipped eight goals in three away matches
Origin of ship
1- See also ship out
Derived forms of ship
- shippable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for -ship (2 of 2)
indicating state or condition: fellowship
indicating rank, office, or position: lordship
indicating craft or skill: horsemanship; workmanship; scholarship
Origin of -ship
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with ship
In addition to the idioms beginning with ship
- ship of state
- ship out
- ships that pass in the night
also see:
- desert a sinking ship
- enough to sink a ship
- shape up (or ship out)
- tight ship
- when one's ship comes in
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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