shipshape

American  

[ship-sheyp] / ˈʃɪpˌʃeɪp /

adjective

1. in good order; well-arranged; trim or tidy.

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adverb

1. in a shipshape manner.

shipshape British  

/ ˈʃɪpˌʃeɪp /

adjective

1. neat; orderly

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adverb

1. in a neat and orderly manner

Etymology

Origin of shipshape

First recorded in 1635–45; ship ¹ + shape

Example Sentences

Two months later, on Nov. 15, 1856, Neptune’s Car, gleaming and shipshape, enters the harbor of San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

The Sanborn was renovated in 1992 using tax-credit financing that involved outside investors with a financial interest in keeping the building shipshape.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2023

But there is a catch: Taxpayers are paying millions to keep the yachts shipshape.

From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2023

Simply keeping the Amadea shipshape comes at vast expense, with annual running costs estimated at £25m or more.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2022

The hotelkeeper brings him bread and cheese in a basket made from dark wicker, covered nicely with a cotton napkin: everything shipshape.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr