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• shanghai
  shanghai

  verb (used with object)

  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.
• Shanghai
  Shanghai

  noun

  a seaport and municipality in E China, near the mouth of the Chang Jiang.

shanghai

¹ American  

[shang-hahy, shang-hahy] / ˈʃæŋ haɪ, ʃæŋˈhaɪ /

verb (used with object)

Nautical.

shanghais, present (3rd person singular) shanghaied, past participle, past shanghaiing present participle

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 ² 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 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.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• shanghaiing
  present
• shanghaied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shanghai
  simple
• shanghais
  simple
• have shanghaied
  perfect
• has shanghaied
  perfect
• are shanghaiing
  progressive
• am shanghaiing
  progressive
• is shanghaiing
  progressive
• have been shanghaiing
  perfect progressive
• has been shanghaiing
  perfect progressive

Past

• shanghaied
  simple
• had shanghaied
  perfect
• was shanghaiing
  progressive
• were shanghaiing
  progressive
• had been shanghaiing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shanghai
  simple
• will have shanghaied
  perfect
• will be shanghaiing
  progressive
• will have been shanghaiing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shanghai

First recorded in 1855–60; after Shanghai

Explanation

To shanghai someone is to kidnap or trick them into working for you. The traditional way to shanghai someone is to drug him and put him on a ship. When the person wakes up, he better get to work. This term popped up in the 19th century. The captain of a boat would shanghai people when his ship was short on labor. The shanghaied person would wake up and find himself at sea, often on a long trip like to Shanghai, China. The term is also used for similar, non-naval abductions. If you trick your best friend into coming home with you so she can do your chores, you shanghai her.

Example Sentences

Stock markets were steady in U.S. premarket and European trade, while Japanese and Shanghai indexes were close to flat after Monday’s rally.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

Tokyo and Taipei were also well down, with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Wellington also down.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

At a 2015 match in Shanghai, he dished out nine yellow cards and three red ones – a milestone in his refereeing career that earned him the nickname "card master".

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

In Shanghai, students were asked to write 800 words about technology's reshaping of the world and human imagination.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

As soon as we were alone, Andrea began talking about Shanghai.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz