shanghai
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To force or trick someone to go somewhere or do something against their will or interest.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shanghySay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃæŋˈhaɪ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To force or trick someone to go somewhere or do something against their will or interest, particularly
US military slang
Take (someone) against his will for compulsory service, especially on board a ship
“The men were shanghaied after being drugged.”
US law enforcement slang
To trick a suspect into entering a jurisdiction in which they can be lawfully arrested.
US military slang
To transfer a serviceman against their will.
transitive
To commandeer, hijack, or otherwise (usually wrongfully) appropriate a place or thing.
AustraliaNew Zealand
To hit with a slingshot.
noun
A major international port including the eastern coast of Shanghai Municipality and the northeastern islands of Zhejiang Province.
The largest city of China; located in the east on the Pacific; one of the largest ports in the world
A major port city and direct-administered municipality of China, the largest urban area in China.
AustraliaNew Zealand
Synonym of slingshot.
Alternative letter-case form of shanghai in its various senses derived from the Chinese city.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
More ways to use shanghai
- “The men were shanghaied after being drugged.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A dialect of Chinese spoken in the Yangtze delta.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “shanghai” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.