shipping

¹ American  

[ship-ing] / ˈʃɪp ɪŋ /

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.

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shipping ² American  

[ship-ing] / ˈʃɪp ɪŋ /

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.

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shipping British  

/ ˈʃɪpɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the business of transporting freight, esp by ship

   2. ( as modifier )

      a shipping magnate

      shipping line

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

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Usage

What else does shipping mean? Shipping is the act of wanting two or more fictional characters or celebrities to end up in a relationship, usually romantic.

Other Word Forms

• nonshipping
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of shipping¹

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

Origin of shipping²

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shipping

Black Sea shipping has been hit by growing fallout from the Ukraine-Russia war in recent months.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Still, renewed tanker attacks around the Strait of Hormuz are keeping shipping, insurance, routing and security risks elevated, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Crude oil prices have hovered between $90 and $100 a barrel as the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz enters its eighth month, far longer than analysts had expected.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The International Chamber of Commerce warns that shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are brewing a global food security crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The Henry was rolling heavily, shipping water with every roll.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Related Words

• freight
• ship