shipping

¹ 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 ² 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 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

First recorded in 1990–95; (relation)ship + -ing ¹

Origin of shipping¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; ship ¹, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Warnings about an interruption in shipping traffic from China leading to bare store shelves and surging prices never came to pass.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a result, garbage haulers often look for creative ways to deal with the waste, including shipping trash products overseas or across the border.

From Los Angeles Times

Investors still face uncertainty around U.S. fiscal dynamics and the future of long-term yields, a slow-moving property correction in China, and persistent geopolitical pressures on shipping routes and energy markets.

From Barron's

The dispute comes as strategic competition in the Arctic grows, with melting ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to valuable mineral resources.

From BBC

The Arctic has gained geostrategic importance as the race for rare earths heats up and as melting ice caused by global warming opens up new shipping routes.

From Barron's

Related Words

• freight
• ship