Understanding “Shipping”: Definition of the Popular Slang Term

When your teenager talks about “shipping,” it likely has nothing to do with deliveries or vessels at sea. Instead, it pertains to relationships.

Merriam-Webster defines “ship” as a transitive verb that means “to wishfully regard (specific people or fictional characters) as being or having the potential to become romantically involved with one another.”

This slang term has been in circulation since the early 2000s and is rooted in fan culture, where enthusiasts pair characters from TV shows and movies they see as a great match romantically.

Beyond fictional narratives, the term is also applied to real-world couples, including those from reality shows and celebrities.

Here’s what you need to know about this slang term and how to use it appropriately.

What is the origin of ship/shipping?

As reported by Merriam-Webster, who officially recognized this new meaning in January 2021, the term “ship” first emerged online in 1996 on a fan forum for the science fiction/mystery series “The X-Files.”

Fans of the series wished for the two leading characters, Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, to become romantic partners. Initially, “ship” was used as a noun, a shorthand for “relationship,” and the fans identified themselves as “Shippers” because they desired to pair the characters.

The verb form “ship” gained traction on various fan forums in the early 2000s, with communities crafting romantic connections between characters or individuals that were not typically linked romantically, according to Merriam-Webster.

“Shipping” frequently involves fans imagining scenarios that extend beyond the actual storylines of a show, and is closely tied to fan fiction culture, where fans create original stories featuring characters in new romantic pairings.

During the height of the “Harry Potter” film franchise, fans notably “shipped” the characters Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, even though their characters had no romantic interactions in the series.

A recent example of fan “shipping” is the pairing of Carmen Berzatto and Sydney Azamo from “The Bear.” With the release of Season 2 in 2023, fans combined the two characters into a couple known as “#sydcarmy,” despite Berzatto’s involvement with another character in the show.

“Sydney and Carmy’s chemistry is unparalleled, and Carmy’s relationship with Claire is so DRY!” wrote one fan in an X post, commenting on the internet-fueled “sydcarmy” ship.

There are even X accounts dedicated to sharing video edits of the fictional pairing.

Shipping isn’t confined to fictional characters and can also extend to real-life couples, particularly in reality TV shows like “Love Island” or “Love is Blind.” When fans believe a couple on the show is a compelling match, they will “ship” them and advocate for their union.

For instance, consider this fan’s X post about Serena Page and Kordell Beckham from Season 6 of “Love Island.”

“Best love island ship of all time and I’m serious,” declared the fan in the post.

How should you use ship/shipping correctly?

So, how do you use the term correctly?

Take a cue from Jenna Bush Hager, who learned about the term when fans were “shipping” the WNBA New York Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant with Grimace, the McDonald’s mascot and occasional New York Mets mascot.

When McDonald’s shared photos on Instagram of the mascots spending time together in New York City, fans quickly chimed in with comments using the slang.

“I ship it,” one fan commented on the post.

Bush Hager discussed the pairing during “Jenna’s Morning Boost” on TODAY on January 14.

“People are ‘shipping’ them, as the kids say,” Bush Hager explained on the show. “‘Shipping’ means ‘I want to set you up.’”

Therefore, if you wanted to express, “I think Grimace and Ellie the Elephant would make a great couple,” you would instead say, “I ship Grimace and Ellie the Elephant.” Seems straightforward enough.