ship

/ʃɪp/

/ʃɪp/

Other forms: ships; shipping; shipped

A ship is a large sea-going vessel, and it's also a way to transport goods. You can ship things on a ship — but, confusingly, you can also ship them on a truck or a train.

A ship is like a boat, only larger — some definitions of a sailing ship say it has at least three masts. A cruise ship transports a large number of people in what is basically a floating hotel. A cargo ship, on the other hand, transports goods being imported and exported between countries. One guess about the origin of ship links it to a Germanic word meaning "hollowed-out tree."

Definitions of ship

1. noun

   a vessel that carries passengers or freight
   examples:

   H.M.S. Bounty

   a ship of the British navy; in 1789 part of the crew mutinied against their commander William Bligh and set him afloat in an open boat

   Mayflower

   the ship in which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from England to Massachusetts in 1620

   types:

   abandoned ship, derelict

   a ship abandoned on the high seas

   blockade-runner

   a ship that runs through or around a naval blockade

   cargo ship, cargo vessel

   a ship designed to carry cargo

   flagship

   the ship that carries the commander of a fleet and flies his flag

   gas-turbine ship

   a ship powered by a gas turbine

   hospital ship

   a ship built to serve as a hospital; used for wounded in wartime

   hulk

   a ship that has been wrecked and abandoned

   iceboat, icebreaker

   a ship with a reinforced bow to break up ice and keep channels open for navigation

   lightship

   a ship equipped like a lighthouse and anchored where a permanent lighthouse would be impracticable

   minelayer

   ship equipped for laying marine mines

   minesweeper

   ship equipped to detect and then destroy or neutralize or remove marine mines

   nuclear-powered ship

   ship whose motive power comes from the energy of a nuclear reactor

   passenger ship

   a ship built to carry passengers

   pirate, pirate ship

   a ship that is manned by pirates

   school ship, training ship

   a ship used to train students as sailors

   shipwreck

   a wrecked ship (or a part of one)

   sister ship

   a ship that is one of two or more similar ships built at the same time

   slave ship

   a ship used to transport slaves from their homes to places of bondage

   small ship

   a ship that is small

   steamer, steamship

   a ship powered by one or more steam engines

   supply ship, tender

   ship that usually provides supplies to other ships

   three-decker

   any ship having three decks

   transport ship

   a ship for carrying soldiers or military equipment

   treasure ship

   a 16th-century ship loaded with treasure

   troopship

   ship for transporting troops

   combat ship, war vessel, warship

   a government ship that is available for waging war

   whaler, whaling ship

   a ship engaged in whale fishing

   wreck

   a ship that has been destroyed at sea

   caravel

   a small, light ship with lateen sails and two to four masts; used by Spanish and Portuguese sailors in the 15th and 16th centuries

   aircraft carrier, attack aircraft carrier, carrier, flattop

   a large warship that carries planes and has a long flat deck for takeoffs and landings

   banana boat

   a ship designed to transport bananas

   battleship, battlewagon

   large and heavily armoured warship

   bottom, freighter, merchant ship, merchantman

   a cargo ship

   capital ship

   a warship of the first rank in size and armament

   cattle boat, cattleship

   a cargo ship for the transport of livestock

   container ship, container vessel, containership

   a cargo ship designed to hold containerized cargoes

   corsair

   a swift pirate ship (often operating with official sanction)

   corvette

   a highly maneuverable escort warship; smaller than a destroyer

   cruiser

   a large fast warship; smaller than a battleship and larger than a destroyer

   destroyer, guided missile destroyer

   a small fast lightly armored but heavily armed warship

   destroyer escort

   warship smaller than a destroyer; designed to escort fleets or convoys

   factory ship

   a whaling ship equipped to process whale products at sea

   frigate

   a United States warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a cruiser

   frigate

   a medium size square-rigged warship of the 18th and 19th centuries

   guard ship

   a warship (at anchor or under way) required to maintain a higher degree of readiness than others in its squadron

   ironclad

   a wooden warship of the 19th century that is plated with iron or steel armor

   Liberty ship

   a slow cargo ship built during World War II

   liner, ocean liner

   a large commercial ship (especially one that carries passengers on a regular schedule)

   man-of-war, ship of the line

   a warship intended for combat

   oil tanker, oiler, tank ship, tanker

   a cargo ship designed to carry crude oil in bulk

   paddle steamer, paddle-wheeler

   a steam vessel propelled by paddle wheels

   privateer

   a privately owned warship commissioned to prey on the commercial shipping or warships of an enemy nation

   sloop of war

   a sailing or steam warship having cannons on only one deck

   submersible, submersible warship

   a warship designed to operate under water

   surface ship

   a warship that operates on the surface of the water

   three-decker

   a warship carrying guns on three decks

   torpedo boat

   small high-speed warship designed for torpedo attacks in coastal waters

   tramp, tramp steamer

   a commercial steamer for hire; one having no regular schedule

   type of:

   vessel, watercraft

   a craft designed for water transportation
2. verb

   place on board a ship
   “ship the cargo in the hold of the vessel”

   types:

   reship

   place on a ship again or transfer to another ship

   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location
3. verb

   transport commercially
   synonyms: send, transport

   types:

   barge

   transport by barge on a body of water

   railroad

   transport by railroad

   despatch, dispatch, send off

   send away towards a designated goal

   forward, send on

   send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in transit

   bundle off

   send off unceremoniously

   route

   send documents or materials to appropriate destinations

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
4. verb

   hire for work on a ship
   type of:

   employ, engage, hire

   engage or hire for work
5. verb

   go on board
   synonyms: embark

   types:

   emplane, enplane

   board a plane

   type of:

   board, get on

   get on board of (trains, buses, ships, aircraft, etc.)
6. verb

   travel by ship
   type of:

   journey, travel

   travel upon or across