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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

S&P Global says alternative supplies, external can mean higher crude, freight and insurance costs, while longer shipping routes add to the burden.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

But tensions flared back up later in the month after disputes over alternative shipping channels and alleged U.S. bypass moves.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

The helicopter came down between two commercial buildings at a storage facility and landed on two shipping containers and several vehicles parked in the area, the fire department said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Footage from the scene showed two shipping containers and several vehicles burning.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

I worked in a factory, at a fast-food restaurant, and at a parcel shipping center.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau

Related Words

• freight
• ship