adj
shipshape
SHIHP-shayp
Shipshape (adj) means Neat, tidy, and well organised. Example: “She had the whole office shipshape before the inspection.”
adj
1
Neat, tidy, and well organised.
"Having made sure everything is shipshape, the colonel goes back to the controls and starts to bring the plane down."
— , Night Flight (1950)
"Dr. Marks said I'm shipshape. Those were his exact words. Or maybe he said tip-top. It was something alliterative."
— Kelly Link, Stone Animals (2005)
"She had the whole office shipshape before the inspection."
How to use shipshape
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEverything neatly in its place.
Common pairings
shipshape and tidy
get things shipshape
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more shipshape
- Superlative
- most shipshape
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She had the whole office _____ before the inspection.
Etymology
A nautical term — sailors had to keep their cramped quarters tidy and secure against rough seas, giving rise to "shaped like (a well-kept) ship," later shortened to shipshape.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for shipshape
See all rhymes for shipshape →Frequently asked questions
What does “shipshape” mean?
The word “shipshape” means neat, tidy, and well organised. In plain terms, everything neatly in its place.
How do you pronounce “shipshape”?
“Shipshape” is pronounced SHIHP-shayp (/ˈʃɪpˌʃeɪp/ in IPA).
How do you use “shipshape” in a sentence?
Here is “shipshape” used in a sentence: “She had the whole office shipshape before the inspection.”
What part of speech is “shipshape”?
“Shipshape” is an adjective.
