shanghai

verb

Definition of shanghainext
1
as in to capture

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in to deceive

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shanghai They’re shanghaied by Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes), basically evil but also adorable, to Living Island — the witch wants Freddy — where trees walk and objects talk and the mayor is the title character, a friendly dragon. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023 Some historians believe, as The Oregonian/OregonLive has reported, that the tunnels weren’t actually used to shanghai -- that is, abduct men and force them to join a ship’s crew. — oregonlive, 26 Mar. 2020 The musical comedy is filled with zany pirates, zombie ships, mermaids and the plot revolves around a bumbling actor and his crew getting shanghaied by the terror of the high seas. — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2019 To shanghai your wife into a mental health intervention would be a mistake. — Y Jeanne Phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Feb. 2018 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, 20 Oct. 2017 The idea of a summertime art festival has been shanghaied by the nonprofit Art Shanty Project. — Bob Shaw, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shanghai
  1. capture
  2. deceive
  3. impress
  4. trick
  5. kidnap
  6. snow
  7. seize
  8. delude
Verb
  • The homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, said that his home surveillance cameras captured the group of at least four masked men trying to enter through the back of his home.
    — Lauren Pozen, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The movie, which premieres this weekend on YouTube, is a DIY schlock- umentary that’s also a real documentary, one that captures how Six’s life became his own private horror film, after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of capture
Verb
  • Now some say the operation has left them feeling deceived and questioning whether the White House considered their safety.
    — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The two proceed to deceive each other, insult each other’s appearances, and abandon each other in precarious situations.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceive
Verb
  • Madjo would score in training matches and was impressing several team-mates and the coaching staff.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In short, no one who encounters them is impressed by their capability or their intelligence, not even their own cats, and the only souls who seem to fully believe in them are one another.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of impress
Verb
  • Mistruths, false claims, scams, and other deceptive efforts are tricking people into thinking that a watermark removal app will do wonders, whereas the reality is that the results are at best half-mixed or aimed to cause damage.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • ClickFix works by tricking you into performing an action on your computer that stealthily downloads and installs malware.
    — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of trick
Verb
  • And Faran Tahir will be back as Raza, leader of the Ten Rings, who kidnapped Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Niamey, Niger — An American missionary who was kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger in October has been released, his organization said Friday.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of kidnap
Verb
  • There are songs for each segment, which include Goofy cleaning up, a dark turn with Daisy in a power outage and snowed-in Pluto.
    — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026
  • The food is rustic and cosmopolitan at once — bright, monumental salads, whole carrots and leeks baptized by fire, skeins of pasta, and Parmigiano snowing down — but the secret is the seeming effortlessness.
    — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Definition of snow
Verb
  • Messi had a shot saved at the beginning of the second half, but Palacios then sparked a move from one side of the pitch to the other as Nashville restored its lead in the 49th minute and seized control of the game.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Biggs, 67, has seized on the refusal, repeatedly challenging Hobbs to debate and making her absence itself part of his campaign message.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • People are deluding themselves with the one-size-fits-all line of thinking.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 13 July 2026
  • Trump, deluded by the walkover in Venezuela, thought Iran would surrender in short order.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2026
Definition of delude

Browse Nearby Words

shamuses
shanghai
shanghaied
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

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

Cite this Entry

“Shanghai.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shanghai. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on shanghai

Nglish: Translation of shanghai for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shanghai

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All