Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

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

See shanghai defined for English-language learners

See shanghai defined for kids

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

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Get Word of the Day daily email, delivered to your inbox!

Recent Examples of shanghai from the Web

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

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

  1. 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

What made you want to look up shanghai? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

acolyte

play

one who attends or assists a leader

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. exculpatory 'tending or serving to exculpate'

  2. ideologue 'an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology'

  3. socialism 'a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government'

  4. uphold 'to let stand'

  5. due process 'a course of formal proceedings (as judicial proceedings)'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

shanghai

Test Your Vocabulary

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

  • test-your-emoji-exceptionalism-written-with-a-lot-of-emoji
  • What is this emoji intended to represent: 🤳
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games