Shanghai

¹ 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 ² 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 ¹ 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 ² 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 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

Once at the embassy she could be shanghaied back to Hong Kong or China.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

I consider trying to catch part of the show, but am afraid that if I cross the lot I’ll get shanghaied into some other task.

From Literature

Me and Katherine still wear our finery from the night we were shanghaied, and these things I’m wearing are for looking pretty, not strolling through a frontier town.

From Literature