Shipping
What does Shipping mean?
Shipping is the practice of supporting, discussing, or creating content about a desired romantic pairing.
Shipping used in a sentence
“The fandom started shipping them after one scene together.”
This example shows the term in context rather than treating the definition as a literal word-for-word substitution. Slang often depends on tone, audience, and the conversation around it.
How do you use Shipping?
Shipping can involve theories, edits, fan art, fanfiction, debates, and hopes that a pairing becomes canon.
Where did Shipping come from?
The term derives from relationship and was established in online fandom by the 1990s before spreading across social media.
Common variations of Shipping
shipper
A fan who supports a particular pairing.
shipping war
Conflict between supporters of competing pairings.
multishipping
Supporting multiple pairings involving the same characters.
Shipping: frequently asked questions
What is a shipping war?
It is an argument between groups who support different pairings.
Is shipping only fictional?
It began largely in fandom but is also applied to celebrities and people online.