shanghai

verb shang·hai \ ˈshaŋ-ˌhī , shaŋ-ˈhī \

Definition of shanghai

shanghaied; shanghaiing

transitive verb

1 a : to put aboard a ship by force often with the help of liquor or a drug

b : to put by force or threat of force into or as if into a place of detention

2 : to put by trickery into an undesirable position

—

shanghaier

play \shaŋ-ˈhī(-ə)r, ˈshaŋ-ˌhī-\ noun

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shanghai was our Word of the Day on 05/19/2012. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of shanghai from the Web

To shanghai your wife into a mental health intervention would be a mistake.

— y jeanne phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Dad of twins fears wife is suffering from depression," 5 Feb. 2018
To shanghai your wife into a mental health intervention would be a mistake.

— abby, Houston Chronicle, "Dad of twins fears wife is suffering from depression," 5 Feb. 2018
Answer: A 19th century waterfront hustler who lured unwitting arriving sailors into disreputable boardinghouses, from which they were often shanghaied.

— gary kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, "SF’s lost opportunity to be reborn as ‘Paris, with hills’," 27 Oct. 2017
That prompts the secretly protective Madea to shanghai Joe and the equally outrageous old-timers Hattie (Patrice Lovely) and Bam (Cassi Davis) for a trip to the lake to bring Tiffany back.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "'Boo 2! A Madea Halloween' movie review: Stupid-funny? Or just plain stupid?," 20 Oct. 2017
The ways in which our attention gets shanghaied by these companies makes us less good as citizens.

— isaac chotiner, Slate Magazine, "Why it’s time to panic about what Google and Facebook are doing to our lives.," 5 Oct. 2017
The idea of a summertime art festival has been shanghaied by the nonprofit Art Shanty Project.

— bob shaw, Twin Cities, "A Minnesotan’s guide to delusional winter fun," 6 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shanghai.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In the 1800s, long sea voyages were very difficult and dangerous, so people were understandably hesitant to become sailors. But sea captains and shipping companies needed crews to sail their ships, so they gathered sailors any way they could - even if that meant resorting to kidnapping by physical force or with the help of liquor or drugs. The word shanghai comes from the name of the Chinese city of Shanghai. People started to use the city's name for that unscrupulous way of obtaining sailors because the East was often a destination of ships that had kidnapped men onboard as crew.

Origin and Etymology of shanghai

Shanghai, China; from the former use of this method to secure sailors for voyages to eastern Asia

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1871

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Shanghai

geographical name Shang·hai \ shaŋ-ˈhī \

Definition of Shanghai

city and port on the Huangpu River near the estuary of the Chang (Yangtze) River in eastern China population 21,126,600

Note: Shanghai is China's most populous city.

SHANGHAI Defined for English Language Learners

shanghai

verb

Definition of shanghai for English Language Learners

: to bring (someone) onto a ship by force
: to make (someone) do something by using force or tricks

Learn More about shanghai

See words that rhyme with shanghai Nglish: Translation of shanghai for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shanghai for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shanghai

Seen and Heard

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shanghai

Definition of shanghai

shanghaier

shanghai was our Word of the Day on 05/19/2012. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of shanghai from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of shanghai

Shanghai

Definition of Shanghai

SHANGHAI Defined for English Language Learners

shanghai

Definition of shanghai for English Language Learners

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shanghai

Definition of shanghai

shanghaier

shanghai was our Word of the Day on 05/19/2012. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of shanghai from the Web

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Origin and Etymology of shanghai

Shanghai

Definition of Shanghai

SHANGHAI Defined for English Language Learners

shanghai

Definition of shanghai for English Language Learners

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