shipping

noun

ship·​ping ˈshi-piŋ 

1

a

: passage on a ship

b

: ships

c

: the body of ships in one place or belonging to one port or country

2

: the act or business of one that ships

Examples of shipping in a Sentence

The fruit was ready for shipping.

They protected our shipping from submarines during wartime.

Recent Examples on the Web

Save on the brown, natural, and light oak shades—and get free shipping to sweeten the deal. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2026

But the major continental divide for Brazil is close to the Atlantic coast and drains away to the west, south and north, making downstream shipping to the Atlantic open to a relatively small area of the country. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026

Warmer waters disrupt economically critical fisheries, and melting ice has damaged roads there and in neighboring Greenland — changes that are fueling competition between the US, Russia, and, increasingly, China for control over new Arctic shipping routes. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026

This effort includes regular phone conferences among the agencies and maritime shipping company crews to be aware of transportation schedules. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing shipping

• shipping and handling
• shipping clerk
• shipping crates

Rhymes for shipping

• chipping
• clipping
• dipping
• dripping
• flipping
• gripping
• nipping
• ripping
• sipping
• skipping
• slipping
• snipping

Kids Definition

shipping

noun

ship·​ping

ˈship-iŋ

1

: the body of ships in one place or belonging to one port or country

2

: the act or business of one that ships goods