1 B1 neutral
To be sent overseas on military duty, or to depart for a posting abroad.
"His regiment received orders to ship out to the Middle East within the week."
inseparable
ship out
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To depart by ship or be sent overseas, especially on military deployment; or to dispatch goods for delivery.
In plain English
To leave by ship or be sent to another place — often used for soldiers going overseas or goods being sent out.
What does "ship out" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To send goods or products out for delivery or distribution.
"We shipped out over ten thousand units in the first week after the product launch."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
(Informal) To leave or be dismissed from a job or position — often used in the phrase 'shape up or ship out'.
"The manager told him bluntly: shape up or ship out."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To depart or send something via a ship.
Actually means
To leave by ship or be sent to another place — often used for soldiers going overseas or goods being sent out.
Usage tip
Has both a military sense (troops shipping out to a combat zone) and a commercial sense (a company shipping out products). The phrase 'shape up or ship out' is a very common idiom meaning 'improve your behaviour or leave'. Chiefly American English in the military sense.
Words that pair with "ship out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
troops soldiers orders goods products packages overseas
How to conjugate "ship out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
ship out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
ships out
he/she/it
Past simple
shiped out
yesterday
Past participle
shiped out
have + pp
-ing form
shiping out
continuous
Hear "ship out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "ship out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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