shipping

1 of 2

noun

ship·​ping ˈshi-piŋ How to pronounce shipping (audio)
Synonyms of shippingnext
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
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.
Noun
Bulgarians voted against a backdrop of growing economic hardship and drone attacks on Black Sea shipping, which have left several sailors dead or missing. — Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026 Moscow and Beijing last week have agreed to expand freight traffic along Arctic shipping corridors, increase services between their ports and deepen cooperation on building polar vessels. — Lee Ying Shan,matthew Tan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026 In the throes of this chaos, a colleague at the shipping dock that housed my clients’ furniture called. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 Yes, Alo currently offers free standard UPS ground shipping, which takes three to five business days to deliver. — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shipping

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of shipping was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing shipping

Rhymes for shipping

See All Rhymes for shipping

Browse Nearby Words

shipper fork
shipping
shipping and handling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shipping. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on shipping

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shipping

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shipping

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