plural ships
often attributive
1
a
: a large seagoing vessel
b
: a sailing vessel having a bowsprit and usually three masts each composed of a lower mast, a topmast, and a topgallant mast
2
: boat
especially
: one propelled by power or sail
3
: a ship's crew
4
: fortune sense 2
when their ship comes in they'll be able to live in better style
5
see also take ship
shipped; shipping; ships
1
a
: to place or receive on board a ship for transportation by water
b
: to cause to be transported
shipped him off to prep school
2
obsolete
: to provide with a ship
3
: to put in place for use
ship the tiller
4
: to take into a ship or boat
ship the gangplank
5
: to engage for service on a ship
6
: to take (water) over the side
—used of a boat or a ship
1
: to embark on a ship
2
a
: to go or travel by ship
—often used with out
b
: to proceed by ship or other means under military orders
—often used with out
3
: to engage to serve on shipboard
4
: to be sent for delivery
the order will ship soon
shipped; shipping; ships
informal
: to wishfully regard (specific people or fictional characters) as being or having the potential to become romantically involved with one another
Naturally, their followers gushed … and started shipping them all over again. "Please be back together," one user commented …—
Alyssa Morin
Alyssa MorinThe Office's on-and-off pairing remained so tantalizingly close after the series wrapped in 2013 that even [Mindy] Kaling gets why people are still shipping them.—Sarah Grossbart
Sarah GrossbartSean Astin, who portrayed Bob Newby, the love interest of Ryder's character, Joyce Byers, in season 2, told Us Weekly exclusively earlier this month that he hopes Jim and Joyce will end up together. "I've shipped them since the beginning," the 49-year-old declared.—Samantha Leffler
Samantha LefflerOne close friendship does develop between two girls, and while fans of other Dreamworks shows like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power may start shipping them, budding romance at this point is only wishful thinking.—Alana Joli Abbott
Alana Joli AbbottHow does one even begin to write about Anne and Diana? … Megan Followes herself ships them.—Danny M. Lavery
Danny M. Lavery1
: state : condition : quality
friendship
2
: office : dignity : profession
clerkship
3
: art : skill
horsemanship
4
: something showing, exhibiting, or embodying a quality or state
township
fellowship
5
: one entitled to a (specified) rank, title, or appellation
his Lordship
6
: the body of persons participating in a specified activity
readership
listenership
Synonyms
Examples of ship in a Sentence
Noun
the captain of the ship
He will travel by ship.
Verb (1)
The goods were shipped from a foreign port.
Your order is expected to ship soon.
The company will ship its new software next month.
The software will ship next month.
The soldiers were shipped overseas for duty.
When the waves increased, the boat began shipping water.
Recent Examples on the WebDakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Crew members took swift action while the ship maintained its location for the duration of the rescue mission.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 28 May 2024
Advertisement Francis and his firm, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, provided Navy ships with security, water, trash removal and other supplies and services.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2024
The tablet ships with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage and all models include 8GB of RAM.
—PCMAG, 25 May 2024
The 90-foot schooner De Gallant encountered a passing storm about 20 miles north of Great Inagua, the southernmost island in the Bahamas, Tuesday morning, and the eight-member crew abandoned ship when the vessel began taking on water and going under, according to a Coast Guard statement.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
The Pentagon built and assembled the pier alongside an Army ship off the coast with involvement from about 1,000 American troops, U.S. officials said.
—Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 23 May 2024
While on the ship taking them across the Atlantic, Emilie falls for Omar, a Muslim merchant.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 16 May 2024
The ship is expected to be refloated and guided back to the Port of Baltimore in the coming days.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Kenny Holston, New York Times, 27 May 2024
Those samples were shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Amy Maxmen | Kff Health News, ABC News, 24 May 2024
According to a statement on the company’s website, the De Gallant was shipping coffee, cocoa and sugar cane from Santa Marta, Colombia, to various locations in Europe.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
Though a nasal swab from the person in Michigan tested negative for influenza, an eye swab from the patient was shipped to the CDC and tested positive for influenza A(H5N1) virus.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
The Surface Laptop starts at $999 for the 13.8-inch model or $1,199.99 for the 15-inch and is up for preorder now and shipping on June 18th.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 20 May 2024
With her mother, Portia (Polly Walker), regaining her footing in society after ousting their thieving cousin Jack (Rupert Young) from the family home, taking his money and shipping him back to America, the newsletter-writing gossip feels stifled.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 16 May 2024
Despite the pandemic interruptions, China has reliably shipped since its opening up and has remained extremely competitive, even as trade and other geo-political tensions have ebbed and flowed.
—Kenneth Dewoskin, Fortune, 15 May 2024
One Arab businessman asked to ship about 45 pounds of ice cream from his favorite shop in Saint-Tropez.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
Noun
The ship is named after the U.S. Rep. Carl Vinson (D-Ga.), who helped expand the Navy and was an ardent segregationist.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Crew members took swift action while the ship maintained its location for the duration of the rescue mission.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 28 May 2024
Advertisement Francis and his firm, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, provided Navy ships with security, water, trash removal and other supplies and services.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2024
The tablet ships with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage and all models include 8GB of RAM.
—PCMAG, 25 May 2024
The 90-foot schooner De Gallant encountered a passing storm about 20 miles north of Great Inagua, the southernmost island in the Bahamas, Tuesday morning, and the eight-member crew abandoned ship when the vessel began taking on water and going under, according to a Coast Guard statement.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
The Pentagon built and assembled the pier alongside an Army ship off the coast with involvement from about 1,000 American troops, U.S. officials said.
—Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 23 May 2024
While on the ship taking them across the Atlantic, Emilie falls for Omar, a Muslim merchant.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 16 May 2024
The ship is expected to be refloated and guided back to the Port of Baltimore in the coming days.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 15 May 2024
Verb
Kennedy Sanders’s belongings were shipped home to her parents after she was killed: Dog tags, identification cards, Polaroids of her family.
—Kenny Holston, New York Times, 27 May 2024
Those samples were shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Amy Maxmen | Kff Health News, ABC News, 24 May 2024
According to a statement on the company’s website, the De Gallant was shipping coffee, cocoa and sugar cane from Santa Marta, Colombia, to various locations in Europe.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
Though a nasal swab from the person in Michigan tested negative for influenza, an eye swab from the patient was shipped to the CDC and tested positive for influenza A(H5N1) virus.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
The Surface Laptop starts at $999 for the 13.8-inch model or $1,199.99 for the 15-inch and is up for preorder now and shipping on June 18th.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 20 May 2024
With her mother, Portia (Polly Walker), regaining her footing in society after ousting their thieving cousin Jack (Rupert Young) from the family home, taking his money and shipping him back to America, the newsletter-writing gossip feels stifled.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 16 May 2024
Despite the pandemic interruptions, China has reliably shipped since its opening up and has remained extremely competitive, even as trade and other geo-political tensions have ebbed and flowed.
—Kenneth Dewoskin, Fortune, 15 May 2024
One Arab businessman asked to ship about 45 pounds of ice cream from his favorite shop in Saint-Tropez.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ship
Cite this Entry
“Ship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ship. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ship
1 of 3 nounship
2 of 3 verb
shipped; shipping
1
a
: to place or receive on board a ship for transportation by water
b
: to cause to be transported
had her boxes shipped home
2
: to take into a ship or boat
ship oars
3
: to sign on as a crew member of a ship
4
: to take in (as water) over the side
-ship
3 of 3 noun suffixˌship
1
: state : condition : quality
friendship
apprenticeship
2
: position : office : duties
professorship
3
: art : skill : activity
horsemanship
penmanship
4
: one having or entitled to be called by a (specified) title
his Lordship
her Ladyship
5
: the whole body of persons included in a class
a large readership
Etymology
Noun suffix
Old English -scipe "condition, something having a certain quality"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share