shipping

¹

[ ship-ing ]

noun

1. the act or business of a person or thing that ships.
2. a number of ships, especially merchant ships, taken as a whole; tonnage.
3. Obsolete. a voyage.

shipping

²

[ ship-ing ]

noun

, Slang.

1. the act or practice of discussing, writing about, or hoping 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:

   the shipping of TV characters;

   shipping in webcomics.

shipping

/ ˈʃɪpɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the business of transporting freight, esp by ship
   2. ( as modifier )

      shipping line

      a shipping magnate

2. 1. ships collectively

      there is a lot of shipping in the Channel

   2. the tonnage of a number of ships

      shipping for this year exceeded that of last

Other Words From

• non·shipping adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shipping¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; ship ¹, -ing ¹

Origin of shipping²

First recorded in 1990–95; (relation)ship + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Manufacturing merchandise, publicity (a radio ad in SF, Facebook ads, venue specific advertising), supplies, shipping.

From The Daily Beast

A plastic factory, a hardware supplier, and shipping–and-receiving giants like Fed-Ex and DHL are neighboring businesses.

From The Daily Beast

Higher shipping costs mean additional friction for companies working in the Canadian oil sands.

From The Daily Beast

Although new to the shipping industry, Kaiser proved a success in turning out the ships America needed.

From The Daily Beast

By Abby Haglage The shipping company heads to court Tuesday to face $1.6 billion in charges of conspiring to traffic illegal meds.

From The Daily Beast

She was only having a look; flying around the shipping and Headquarters camp at a great height, but dropping no bombs.

From Project Gutenberg

That curious, almost ridiculous-looking craft, was among the aristocracy of shipping.

From Project Gutenberg

After curing, it is removed to the packing house and baled in packages, and then transported on mules to the coast for shipping.

From Project Gutenberg

The long cavalcade is seen disappearing down the hill, while away in the distance is Portsmouth Harbour with its crowded shipping.

From Project Gutenberg

The Pryor makes the heaviest, richest shipping, and can only be grown to perfection on alluvial or heavily manured lands.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• freight
• ship