ship
/ʃɪp/
Very CommonTo want two people to be in a romantic relationship.
Originally fandom-specific but now used casually in everyday conversation about real people, celebrities, or anyone around you.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | I ship them so hard, they need to get together already. | The speaker is impatient for two people to become a couple. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | did you see that scene? I am fully shipping them now. | A specific moment converted the speaker into a fan of this pairing. | tumblr, 2022 |
| 03 | my coworkers ship me and the new guy lol they keep winking at me | Other people think the speaker should date someone. | |
| 04 | ship it. no notes. | Full approval of a couple without any reservations. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- You want two characters or real people to get together.
- Two people have obvious chemistry and you want to call it out.
- Reacting to a romantic moment between two people.
- Endorsing or rooting for a specific couple.
Do not use it when
- You just think someone is attractive but not with a specific person.
- You mean you are sending a physical package somewhere.
Variations and related forms
Ship vs OTP
ship
Ship is a verb and a general noun for any pairing you support.
VS
otp
OTP (One True Pairing) is the specific couple you love above all others.
Origin and context
Shortened from 'relationship'. Emerged in fanfiction communities in the 1990s around shows like The X-Files, where fans wrote stories pairing characters together.
- First seen
- 1990s
- Confidence
- high
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Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/shipUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0