What Does SHIP Mean? - Cyber Definitions

SHIP

What Does Ship Mean in a Text?

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The Quick Answer

Ship means "Relationship."

More Observations...

It is popular in fanfiction circles and refers to a (usually romantic) relationship between characters in a book, film, TV series, manga, or anime. Usually, the ship in question is not canon in the original story, but is promoted or endorsed by fans. Such ships include those between Mulder and Scully in the X-Files TV series, and between Harry and Hermione in the Harry Potter stories.

Image for Ship

When I write Ship, I mean this:

Hermione and Harry were never a couple.

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

Ship
Definition:	Relationship
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	3: Guessable
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of ship in Sentences

Here are examples of ship in conversations:

• Toni: I think I'm starting to like Brad.
• Jordan: I totally ship you both!

• Sam: I always shipped Dumbledore and McGonagall.
• Ali: Don't be silly! J K Rowling said Dumbledore was gay.

An Academic Look at Ship

Ship is a shortened version of relationship and is therefore a contraction. Contractions tend to be formed in one of three ways:

• Using letters from the start or end of the word (e.g., ship, amp from amplifier).
• Using letters from the start and end of the word (e.g., Dr from Doctor).
• Using an apostrophe to replace a letter or letters (e.g., can't from cannot).

For reasons of brevity, contractions are rarely followed by periods/full stops, and apostrophes are routinely omitted in text mesaging and on social-media platforms. In most contexts, ship is a noun. However, when it means to endorse a relationship, ship is also often used as a verb.

Example of Ship Used in a Text

Ship

This page is maintained by the Cyber Definitions Editorial Team.

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Saying "I Love You" BREADCRUMBING (sending messages in order to lead someone on, but with no intent of a serious relationship) CUFFED (caught, married (or in a relationship)) ENTANGLEMENT (complicated romantic relationship) HARD LAUNCH (explicit announcement of a romantic relationship) MONKEY (someone who moves quickly from one relationship to the next.) SITUATIONSHIP (undefined romantic relationship) SOFT LAUNCH (subtle announcement of a romantic relationship) STR (send to receive, short term relationship, short term rental) THIRSTY (desperate for a relationship)

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