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

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

Before the latest round of talks between Oman and Iran, Muscat angered the military in Tehran when, without Iranian approval, it set up a U.S.-backed shipping corridor that hugged the Omani coastline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Reports said Oman and Iran were trying to reach an agreement to restart shipping through Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and LNG usually pass.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

According to Kato, it took him a month to make his way back into the shipping lane from California to Hawaii.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

“The shipping alone was like $30 because we ordered it from New York. You can’t buy jewelry with the name Windy off the shelf. It’s got to be custom-ordered.”

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Related Words

• freight
• ship