ship

The word “ship” means a large vessel built to carry people or cargo across water. In plain terms, a large boat, or the act of sending something (a package, a product, or even a hoped-for couple) on its way.

“Ship” is pronounced SHIHP (/ˈʃɪp/ in IPA).

Here is “ship” used in a sentence: “The cruise ship left the harbour at dawn.”

Depending on how it is used, “ship” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “ship” comes from Old English. From Old English scip, tracing back to a Proto-Germanic word for a vessel, ultimately possibly linked to a root meaning "to cut" or "to hollow out" — as ships were once made from hollowed logs.

“Ship” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Ship” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large vessel built to carry people or cargo across water.

Size is the main distinction. A ship is a large, ocean-going vessel built for long voyages and heavy loads; a boat is smaller and usually used on rivers, lakes or near the coast. A common saying is that a ship can carry a boat, but a boat cannot carry a ship.

Ships are grouped by their purpose. Cargo ships and tankers move goods and oil; container ships carry stacked freight; cruise ships and liners carry passengers; and naval ships such as destroyers and aircraft carriers serve the military. Fishing vessels and ferries are further everyday examples.

It is a long nautical tradition rather than a rule. Sailors have for centuries spoken of their ships as "she," often out of affection and respect, much as one might a cherished protector. The custom is fading — many modern writers and registers now simply use "it."

The largest ships are supertankers and the newest cruise liners, both stretching over 300 metres — longer than three football pitches. Giant container ships now carry more than twenty thousand containers at once. These vessels rank among the biggest moving structures humans have ever built.