What does "shipping" mean?
The transportation of goods.
Shipping
/ˈʃɪpɪŋ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The transportation of goods.
- Grammar: shipping is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: transport, advocate, air express, airfreight.
- Useful contrasts: collect, inbound, inland.
- Usage evidence: It must have been broken during shipping.
How to use "shipping"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shipping" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shipping" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shipping" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shipping" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shipping" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "transport" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "shipping", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The transportation of goods. countable, uncountable
"From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.[…] But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip."
- 2 The desire by followers of a fandom for two or more people, either real-life people or fictional characters, to be in a romantic or sexual relationship. slang, uncountable
- 3 the commercial enterprise of moving goods and materials wordnet
- 4 The body of ships belonging to one nation, port or industry; ships collectively. countable, uncountable
"Our overplus of shipping will we burn; / And, with the rest full-mann’d, from the head of Actium / Beat the approaching Caesar."
- 5 conveyance provided by the ships belonging to one country or industry wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Passage or transport on a ship. countable, uncountable
- 7 The cost of sending an item or package using postal or carrier services. countable, uncountable
"The shipping is included in the quoted price."
- 8 Navigation. countable, uncountable
"God send 'em good shipping."
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of ship form-of, gerund, participle, present
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"It must have been broken during shipping."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shipping"?
Common synonyms include: transport, advocate, air express, airfreight, airlift, argosy.
How do you use "shipping" in a sentence?
It must have been broken during shipping.
How do you pronounce "shipping"?
Pronounced /ˈʃɪpɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English schipping, schyppynge, from schippen, schipen (“to take ship, navigate”), from Old English scipian (“to take ship; put in order, equip, man a ship”), equivalent to ship + -ing.
Etymology 2
From ship + -ing.
Etymology 3
Clipping of relationshipping.