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

Tehran said earlier this week that it had held talks with Oman, which also borders the strait, on "common principles and operational mechanisms" to ensure the safe passage of shipping.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Meanwhile, oil futures prices fell further on Tuesday as investors hoped for deals that could prompt a return of Strait of Hormuz shipping.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

The quarter was marked by the U.S.-Iran war, disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and higher energy and transportation costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said Tehran wants the inbound shipping lane entirely under its control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Captain Billy’s son Otis ran the crab shipping part of his father’s business, while his father and two brothers ran the ferry.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• freight
• ship