shipping

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

Examples of shipping in a Sentence

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.
However, the peace deal remains tenous with both sides exchanging fire in the last few days, disrupting shipping. — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Alexander Hamilton, who grew up in the Caribbean, spent his youth in the commercial world of shipping, accounts and credit. — R. Grant Gilmore Iii, The Conversation, 30 June 2026 In the early 2000s, Paris Hilton was engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis. — Freya Drohan, InStyle, 30 June 2026 Despite Iran's warning against using unapproved shipping lanes, vessels continued to take several routes through the waterway over the weekend. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shipping

Word History

First Known Use

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 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

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
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 gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All