as in to form
to take on a definite form
this group of summer interns is shaping up to be one of the best we've ever hired
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to improve
to change one's behavior or character for the better
told his son that if he didn't shape up, he'd be grounded for a month
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Recent Examples of shape (up)
Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Let’s take a look at how this one shapes up.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
However, this year is shaping up to be impressive as well, with 13 nests so far.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Teams around the league widely view next year’s class as shaping up to be substantially better than this year’s.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Verb
In October, Gurman reported that the device was shaping up to be three times heavier and costlier than the iPad Pros.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 27 Apr. 2026
Let’s take a look at how this one shapes up.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
However, this year is shaping up to be impressive as well, with 13 nests so far.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Teams around the league widely view next year’s class as shaping up to be substantially better than this year’s.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Cite this Entry
“Shape (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shape%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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