ship
To support or imagine a romantic pairing between two people or characters, especially in fandom.
By Cal Hewitt, Founder at Web Leveling · Researched from public sources ·
What it actually means
To ship a pair is to want, enjoy, or create discussion and fan work about their possible relationship. The noun ship names the pairing itself, and a shipper is a fan who supports it. The term can apply to fictional characters and, more cautiously, to real people, though real-person shipping can cross personal boundaries.
See the quick definition in the ship dictionary entry.
Where it came from
The best-documented account traces shippers to online X-Files fans in the mid-1990s who wanted Fox Mulder and Dana Scully to become a couple. Wired reports that shippers shortened relationshippers and originally contrasted with "noromos" for no-romance fans. The exact first utterance and individual coiner are not known.
No single person is credited, the origin is commonly reported.
Where it's popular
Online fandoms, fan-fiction communities, social platforms, and pop-culture discussion spaces worldwide.
The term began in English-language online fandom and became widespread through digital fan communities.
How it caught on
- around 1995X-Files fans use relationshippers, later shortened to shippers, for fans of a Mulder-Scully romance.
- 1996The Oxford English Dictionary's earliest recorded examples of ship and shipper are reported as Usenet posts in alt.tv.x-files.
- 1997Shipping is reported as appearing in recorded online use.
- 1998The verb to ship is reported as appearing in recorded online use.
- 2010s-2020sThe term becomes routine across large social-media fandoms and fan-creation spaces.
How to use it
“I ship those two characters so hard.”
Saying you strongly support a fictional pairing.
“That is my favorite ship in the series.”
Naming a preferred romantic pairing.
“Fans are debating whether the show will make the ship canon.”
Discussing whether a pairing will become official in the story.
Common mix-ups
Shipping does not mean a relationship is official or reciprocal. It describes fan interest, interpretation, or creative play, not proof about real people or story canon.
Do you actually know it?
Do you know your ship terms?
0/31. What does it mean to ship two characters?
2. Which fandom is widely credited with early shippers?
3. What is a canon ship?
Related slang
Questions people ask
What does ship mean in fandom?
It means to support or imagine a romantic relationship between two characters or people.
Where did shipping come from?
It is widely traced to 1990s X-Files fandom, where relationshippers was shortened to shippers.
What is a shipper?
A shipper is a fan who supports or enjoys a particular pairing.
What does canon ship mean?
It means a pairing that the official story has established or confirmed.
The original X-Files fandom contrast was shippers versus noromos, short for fans who wanted no romance.