Meaning & use
shipping note
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebusiness
A document that lists goods being sent and gives details such as quantity, description, and destination.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a shipping note' or 'shipping notes' for several.
Patterns
- a shipping note for something
- issue a shipping note
- attach a shipping note to something
The warehouse issued a shipping note for each pallet leaving the building.
Please attach the shipping note to the outside of the box so customs can read it.
Our supplier emailed the shipping note before the truck arrived.
nouncountablebusinessinformal
A short message from a seller telling a customer that an order has been sent.
Grammar: Countable and common in online shopping: 'I got a shipping note today.'
Patterns
- send someone a shipping note
- receive a shipping note
I received a shipping note saying my parcel would arrive on Friday.
The store sends a shipping note as soon as the item leaves the warehouse.
Word forms
| plural | shipping notes |
|---|
Common combinations
- issue a shipping note
- The clerk will issue a shipping note once the goods are packed.
- a shipping note for the order
- Can you find the shipping note for the order placed last week?
- attach a shipping note
- Attach a shipping note to every package before pickup.
- according to the shipping note
- According to the shipping note, ten boxes were loaded.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dispatch note
- Very close in meaning, but more common in British business writing.
- packing slip
- A packing slip usually stays inside the box and lists contents, while a shipping note often travels with the outside of the shipment.
- bill of lading
- A much more formal transport document used especially for sea freight, not a simple internal note.
Word family
Commonly confused: shipping note or packing slip? shipping note or invoice?
shipping note vs packing slip
A packing slip lists what is inside a box; a shipping note focuses on the sending details and often travels outside the package.
shipping note vs invoice
An invoice asks for payment, while a shipping note only describes the goods being sent.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'shipping note' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A shipping note records details of goods being sent, so listing boxes fits. Option 0 describes an invoice, which requests payment, and the other options are not sensible uses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shipping note”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.