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to ship

to ship

62 3.0
To go on a large boat to travel or work as crew
  • verb
  • /ʃɪp/
translation icon : embarcarse
  • Yet O'Neill knew the working class intimately, having shipped out on tramp steamers and labored in mines in Honduras.

Examples

  • I have to ship out in the morning to fight the Nazis, so you better give me something to remember.

  • Think you can be ready to ship out in the morning?

    Fiction book (1992)
  • So, uh, can I ship out?

  • By the time he was ready to ship out, the fighting was over.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • We were on our way to see his parents before he ships off... tell them the news.

  • My squadron ships out tomorrow.

  • So he came back to New Orleans and shipped out in thirty days for a second tour.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • If you don't do this, I'll be shipped off to India.

  • Soon afterward, my grandfather enlisted in the military and was shipped to Europe.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The crew members were excited as they prepared to ship out for their journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

Synonyms

to sail
vsto ship
275 1.0

To travel on water in a boat, often using large fabric to catch wind

refers to water travel regardless of what powers the vessel
to embark
vsto ship
18 4.4

To get on a ship, plane, or other vehicle to begin a journey

applies specifically to travel by water not to any vehicle
to crew
vsto ship
12 5.1

To work on a vehicle like a ship or plane as part of the team

means working specifically on a water vessel as a staff member
to boat
vsto ship
10 1.0

To travel on water in a small vehicle like a rowboat or motorboat

involves travel by larger or other kinds of watercraft
to voyage
vsto ship
3 4.0

To travel by ship or boat over a long distance

covers water travel not limited to long journeys

Antonyms

21 5.1

To leave a ship, plane, or other vehicle after a journey

Idioms

7 5.4

Manage a group or organization strictly to keep it working well

1 8.1

A warning that tells someone to get better or leave

To hope to get rich without doing anything

A person who guides and runs a country

To join a business or project that is likely to fail even though there are clear risks

Run a team or group strictly and efficiently

Phrasal Verbs

20 3.5

To send goods to customers by mail or truck

4 7.0

Fix a troubled company or team so it works well again

Give a new ship its name at a ceremony

to dress ship
  • Specialized
8.5

Put flags on a ship for a ceremony or festival

To make a situation calm and stable during a difficult time

to wear ship
  • Specialized
9.9

Turn a sailing boat away from the wind by moving the back through the wind, not the front

Compounds

50 2.6

A large ship that carries people on holiday trips with places to sleep and entertainment

26 3.0

A large ship that carries goods between ports

slave ship
  • NSFW
11 7.0

A ship that carried people taken from their homelands to be forced to work across the Atlantic in the past

sinking ship
  • Informal
10 4.8

A project or organization that is failing and likely to collapse

9 2.7

A boat used by people who attack other boats to steal things at sea

transport ship
  • Specialized
8 4.0

A ship that carries soldiers or military equipment

A ship that carries goods to sell

7 2.9

A large ship moved by sails, usually with more than one mast

7 3.7

A ship that brings things like food and fuel to ships at sea

A large ship that carries many shipping containers

clipper ship
  • Archaic
5 7.0

A large fast sailing ship with tall masts used for long sea journeys

A ship left by its crew and owners, often drifting at sea

A ship with doctors and nurses that treats injured people

patrol ship
  • Specialized
4 3.7

A ship used by the navy or coast guard to watch and protect the sea

ship of state
  • Literature
3 6.9

The people who lead a country and run its government

A large ship that carries people, not cargo

Liberty ship
  • Archaic
2 7.5

A large slow cargo ship built in the United States during World War Two to carry supplies and troops

surface ship
  • Specialized
2 4.9

A military ship that moves and fights on the water's surface, not underwater

2 4.6

A ship that hunts whales and processes them at sea

capital ship
  • Specialized
2 7.9

A very large warship like a battleship or aircraft carrier with heavy weapons

1 5.3

A navy ship built to fight at sea

A person or group with no clear leader to guide them

1 9.9

A large warship that fights in the main line of ships in sea battles from the 1600s to the 1800s

sister ship
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A ship built at the same time to the same design as another

A ship that teaches people how to sail and work at sea

A ship from the 1500s that carries gold, silver, and jewels

factory ship
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A large ship that processes and stores fish or whales at sea

guard ship
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A navy ship kept ready to respond quickly to emergencies

nuclear-powered ship
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A ship that uses a nuclear reactor for power

1 6.1

A ship that trains people to be sailors or naval officers

supply ship
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A spacecraft that delivers food, equipment, and spare parts to a space station

fire ship
  • Archaic
9.9

A ship filled with bombs and sent toward enemy ships to burn them

gas-turbine ship
  • Specialized
6.7

A ship that uses a gas turbine engine to move

picket ship
  • Specialized
8.5

A ship that watches for enemy ships or planes and warns other ships

tank ship
  • Specialized
4.7

A large ship that carries liquids like oil in large amounts

ship biscuit
  • Archaic
9.9

A very hard dry bread sailors soaked before eating on long sea trips

ship broker
  • Specialized
6.5

A person who arranges for ships to carry cargo or for owners to rent their ships

A person who builds ships, often using wood

ship building
  • Specialized
3.3

The process of making large boats like cargo ships or ferries

A canal wide and deep enough for large ships to pass through

A path at sea that boats follow regularly

A person or company that sells supplies and equipment to ships

ship money
  • Archaic
9.9

A tax that people in England paid in the 1600s to fund the navy

A person or company that buys old ships and takes them apart to sell metal

A device pulled behind a ship that listens for submarines from far away

weather ship
  • Archaic
7.4

A ship at sea that collects and sends weather information

Surface Forms

ship infinitive
shipped past
shipped past participle
shipping present participle
ships third person singular

Etymology

Ship (to travel by sea or work on a ship) comes from the same old word scip for a sea boat, so to 'ship' once meant to go on or serve on a ship and still means to travel by sea or join a ship's crew.