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

Derived 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

The fact the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial oil shipping route, remains effectively closed, and the path to AI profitably remains similarly hard to traverse, seem like subjects for another day.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

It comes against the backdrop of tensions involving Iran, the US and Israel, which have disrupted shipping routes and increased military activity in and around the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

He had worked at Ambiance for nearly five years, first stacking boxes of clothes and then later moving into shipping.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

“And if the conflict were to persist alongside the restrictions to shipping flows, then these challenges will become truly historic.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

His parents helped fund a set of one thousand glasses for him, and he started shipping them to people.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• freight
• ship