shanghai

¹ American  

[shang-hahy, shang-hahy] / ˈʃæŋ haɪ, ʃæŋˈhaɪ /

verb (used with object)

Nautical.

shanghaied, shanghaiing

1. to enroll or obtain (a sailor) for the crew of a ship by unscrupulous means, as by force or the use of liquor or drugs.

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Shanghai ² American  

[shang-hahy, shahng-hahy] / ʃæŋˈhaɪ, ˈʃɑŋˈhaɪ /

noun

1. Pinyin, Wade-Giles.  a seaport and municipality in E China, near the mouth of the Chang Jiang.

2. a type of long-legged chicken believed to be of Asian origin.

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shanghai ¹ British  

/ ˈʃæŋhaɪ, ʃæŋˈhaɪ /

verb

1. to kidnap (a man or seaman) for enforced service at sea, esp on a merchant ship

2. to force or trick (someone) into doing something, going somewhere, etc

3. to shoot with a catapult

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noun

1. a catapult

Shanghai ² British  

/ ˈʃæŋˈhaɪ /

noun

1. a port in E China, capital of Shanghai municipality (traditionally in SE Jiangsu) near the estuary of the Yangtze: the largest city in China and one of the largest ports in the world; a major cultural and industrial centre, with many universities. Pop: 12 665 000 (2005 est)

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Shanghai Cultural  

1. Largest city in China, located in the eastern part of the country on the Pacific Ocean.

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Discover More

Shanghai is the most populous city in Asia.

Opened to foreign trade by the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, Shanghai became a treaty port administered by Britain, the United States, and France until World War II.

It is one of the world's great seaports.

Etymology

Origin of shanghai

First recorded in 1855–60; after Shanghai

Example Sentences

A schemer and her henchmen shanghai two book salesmen for a diamond safari in Africa.

From Los Angeles Times

“We should engage in careful dialogue to decide the best action. Let us not be shanghaied into a rash move for being labeled.”

From Los Angeles Times

A pirate shanghais a teenager who missed the plane to join his girlfriend on an island.

From Los Angeles Times

“He argues that he is not a free rider on a bus headed for a destination that he wishes to reach but is more like a person shanghaied for an unwanted voyage.”

From New York Times

Premise Kelly Clarkson’s daughter falls asleep and somehow gets shanghaied into some sort of adventure with Santa Claus.

From The Guardian