# ship

Pronunciation: say "SHIP" /ʃɪp/

## Noun

1. A craft for travel on water, typically of greater size than a boat.
   - Simple: A large vessel that travels on water, bigger than a boat.
   - _The cargo ship carried thousands of containers across the Pacific._
   - _Several ships anchored offshore during the storm._
3. A vessel that travels through air or space rather than on water, such as an airship or spaceship.
   - Simple: A craft that travels through the air or through space instead of on water.
   - _The ship accelerated past the moon on its way to Mars._
   - _Enormous ships hovered over the city throughout the film._
6. A romantic relationship between real people or fictional characters, especially one that fans imagine or support. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A romantic relationship, especially one that fans imagine or want two people or characters to have.
   - _The ship between the rival detectives became the fandom's most popular pairing._
   - _Readers argued online about which ship the author would finally make canon._

## Verb

2. To send goods, a parcel or cargo to someone or somewhere, by sea, road, rail or air.
   - Simple: To send goods or a package to someone, by ship, truck, train or plane.
   - _The company will ship your replacement part overnight._
   - _We ship orders worldwide within two business days._
4. To launch a product, whether physical or not, by putting it into the hands of retailers or customers.
   - Simple: To finish a product and send it out to people who buy it.
   - _We plan to ship the next version before the holidays._
   - _The startup shipped its first product after two years of work._
5. To support or root for a romantic pairing of two people, real or fictional, especially in fan fiction or fandom. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To want two people or characters, real or made up, to become a romantic couple.
   - _Viewers ship the two leads despite the writers keeping them apart._
   - _She shipped the unlikely couple long before the show confirmed it._
7. To move a player to a different team, whether by trade or otherwise.
   - Simple: To send a player to a different team, often in a trade.
   - _Management decided to ship the veteran guard for two draft picks._
   - _The club shipped its star striker to a bigger market._
8. To leave or go away quickly, usually in the command ship it; to clear out. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To leave a place quickly, usually said as the order ship it.
9. To go aboard a ship for a voyage, especially to serve as one of its crew.
   - Simple: To go on board a ship for a trip, often to work as one of its crew.
   - _The crew shipped for a long voyage across the Atlantic._
   - _Eager cadets ship aboard the training vessel each spring._
10. Of a vessel, to let water come aboard over the sides.
   - Simple: To take in water over the side of a boat.
   - _The deck crew worked hard as the vessel shipped water in the storm._
   - _If we ship much more water, the boat will sink._
11. To concede goals or points to the opposing side in a game or match. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: To let the other team score goals or points against your team.
   - _City shipped four goals at home and slipped to fifth in the table._
   - _Sides that ship 40 points a game in this league don't stay up for long._
12. To pass or hand something from one person to another. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To hand or pass something to another person.
   - _Surrounded by defenders, the forward shipped the ball back to the point guard to reset the play._
   - _Rather than force a shot, a smart captain will ship the ball out to whichever teammate is standing wide open._
13. To put or secure a part such as a mast, rudder or tiller into its proper position on a vessel.
   - Simple: To put a part, such as a rudder or tiller, into its correct place on a boat.
   - _The crew shipped the mast and made ready to sail._
   - _Experienced sailors ship the rudder before they push the dinghy off the beach._
14. In poker, to bet one's entire stack of chips on a single hand. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In poker, to bet all of your chips at once.
   - _He shipped his whole stack before the river card came down._
   - _When the blinds get high, short stacks have to ship or fold._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A sailing vessel with three or more masts, all of them square-rigged; a full-rigged ship.
- (noun) A dish or utensil, originally shaped like a ship's hull, used to hold incense.
- (noun) In a cellular automaton, a spaceship: a pattern of cells that moves across the grid as the simulation runs.
- (noun) A still life in a cellular automaton consisting of an empty cell surrounded by six live cells.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3** — Old English sċip became Middle English ship. Its earlier ancestors are Proto-West Germanic *skip and Proto-Germanic *skipą, which may go back further to a Proto-Indo-European root. Related words include West Frisian skip, Dutch schip, German Schiff, and Scandinavian skib, skip, and skepp.
**Meanings 2, 4, 7–14** — The verb started as Old English sċipian, built through Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic on *skipą ("ship"), and became schippen in Middle English. Equip is a doublet.
**Meanings 5–6** — A clipping of "relationship." It began around 1995 among online fans of The X-Files who wanted Mulder and Scully together and called themselves "relationshippers," soon shortened to "shippers."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ship (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).