Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To unload from a ship; discharge.
  • intransitive verb To remove (a piece of gear) from its proper place; detach.
  • intransitive verb To become or be capable of becoming removed or detached.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To take out of a ship or other water-craft: as, to unship goods or passengers. To remove from its place; specifically (nautical), to remove from a place where it is fixed or fitted: as, to unship an oar; to unship capstan-bars; to unship the tiller.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To take out of a ship or vessel.
  • transitive verb (Naut.) To remove or detach, as any part or implement, from its proper position or connection when in use.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb nautical To unload cargo from a ship or other vessel
  • verb nautical To remove an oar or mast from its normal position

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Wait'll something really happens like they unship a chain onto the beefy bottom bracket and scar the clear coat.

    It's a Zen Thing: What's the Sound of No Brakes Stopping? BikeSnobNYC 2010

  • I came up with some funny routines for getting rid of them, and when I was feeling feisty, I'd unship one and fire it.

    And My Number is BEechwood 4-5-7-8-9 Steve Perry 2009

  • I came up with some funny routines for getting rid of them, and when I was feeling feisty, I'd unship one and fire it.

    Archive 2009-11-01 Steve Perry 2009

  • Earlier in the thread, I allowed that I thought copyright law wasn't perfect, and when you have organizations like Disney who have herds of lawyers they can unship to defend their property, you might make a compelling argument to fix some of the loopholes.

    Steal This Movie! Steven Barnes 2009

  • The steamer generally remains for two or three hours at Halifax to coal, and unship a portion of her cargo, and there is a very natural desire on the part of the passengers to leave what to many is at best a floating prison, and set foot on firm ground, even for an hour.

    The Englishwoman in America 2007

  • There was nothing for it but to unship the mast, get out the oars and pull.

    Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin 2005

  • It took only minutes for the SEALs to get themselves and their gear on board, to unship the waterproofed electric engine and secure it to the motor mount.

    Carrie Douglass, Keith 1991

  • Folks would come downriver and unship their wagons and horses here, and then move west overland.

    Prentice Alvin Card, Orson Scott 1989

  • Now Smash had to unship the two great oars he had made, face back, and row against the current.

    Centaur Aisle Anthony, Piers 1981

  • Now Smash had to unship the two great oars he had made, face back, and row against the current.

    Centaur Aisle Anthony, Piers 1981

Comments

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  • The ship's head pitched into the sea, and the water rushed through the hawse-holes, and the chain surged so as almost to unship the barrel of the windlass.

    - Richard Henry Dana Jr., Two Years Before the Mast, ch. 24

    September 9, 2008