To ship is to support or wish for two people to be in a romantic relationship, whether real people or fictional characters.
Ship is short for relationship, used as a verb. To ship two people means you want them to be together and are rooting for the romance.
The term started in fan communities, where people shipped fictional characters from shows, books, and movies. It has since spread to real life, where fans ship celebrities and friends might ship two people in their group.
Common Ship Terms
- Ship name is a blend of two names, like the couple nicknames celebrities get.
- OTP means one true pairing, the couple a fan supports most.
- Canon is a ship that actually becomes real in the story.
In everyday dating talk, saying I ship it just means you approve of two people as a couple and hope it works out.