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Synonyms

shipper

1 American  
[ship-er] / ˈʃɪp ər /

noun

  1. a person who ships goods or makes shipments.

shipper 2 American  
[ship-er] / ˈʃɪp ər /

noun

Slang.

  1. a person who discusses, writes about, or hopes for 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.

    Harry Potter/Hermione Granger shippers.
shipper British  
/ ˈʃɪpə /

noun

  1. a person or company in the business of shipping freight

"Collins 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 Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of shipper1

before 1100; 1745–55 for current sense; late Old English scipere sailor (not recorded in ME); see ship 1, -er 1

Origin of shipper2

First recorded in 1995–2000; shortening of earlier relationshipper (in the same sense)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Shipper Pan Ocean plunged 17%, while index heavyweight Samsung Electronics lost 12%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Shipper survived two concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau in occupied Poland, a death march, and the Lodz ghetto - a Jewish ghetto established by the Nazis which was plagued by disease, starvation and forced labour.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

Shipper FedEx posted an alert to customers on its website saying that delays and disruptions may be possible for shipments in affected areas.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

Tyler Shipper did not appear to be injured and a motive is under investigation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2023

The Shipper, the Importer, the Jobber of our own country, has a like interest in keeping the point of production as distant from their customers as possible.

From Glances at Europe In a Series of Letters from Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, &c. During the Summer of 1851. by Greeley, Horace

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.