shipping

1 of 2

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

shipping

2 of 2

present participle of ship entry 2, ship entry 3

Examples of shipping in a Sentence

Noun

The fruit was ready for shipping.

They protected our shipping from submarines during wartime.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Climate change has been thinning the Arctic ice, making shipping routes increasingly accessible and reigniting competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

There are concerns that the Houthis' advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could have significant ramifications for energy markets and global trade, particularly if the militant group ratchets up threats or attacks on Red Sea shipping. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Last week’s Houthi advance has not deterred more container shipping industry players from attempting to make a wider return to the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Can a machine effortlessly extract your product’s key attributes, exact pricing, stock levels and shipping policies in less than a second? — Narendra Lakshmana Gowda, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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