Internet
ship
What does ship mean?
To root for two characters or real people to be in a romantic relationship. Comes from 'relationship.' Can be fictional (TV/anime characters), idol-on-idol, or even real celebs. Shipping has its own elaborate culture: ship names (Larry, Destiel), fanfic, edits, the works. In K-pop, shipping group members is a whole industry the labels quietly lean into.
"I've been shipping them since 2019, the eye contact at the awards show didn't help."
Origin
Short for 'relationship,' popularised in the late 1990s by X-Files fans (the 'Mulder/Scully shippers') and spread to all of fandom from there.
Frequently asked questions
What does ship mean?
To ship is to want two people — real or fictional — to be romantically together.
How do you use ship in a sentence?
"I totally ship those two characters, they'd be perfect together."
Where does the word ship come from?
It's short for "relationship," and comes from online fandom culture where fans root for particular couples.
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