take shape
idiomatic phrase
: to assume a definite or distinctive form : to develop and become apparent or established
The plan is finally taking shape.
Edison's tireless work habits took shape during his childhood …—
Paul Gray
Paul GrayThe proto-planetary fragments crashed together, coalesced by gravity, and crashed again into other fragments, until they gradually took shape as the planets we know today.—M. Mitchell Waldrop
M. Mitchell Waldrop… the first half of the century, before the modern medical system took shape.—Geoffrey Cowley
Geoffrey CowleyExamples of take shape in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hawkins and Masterson’s announcement came as an intense lobbying effort for the proposal begins to take shape.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2024
That’s how everything began, according to the standard scientific story of the Big Bang, a theory that first took shape in the 1920s.
—Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 31 May 2024
There’s hope that a more substantial recovery takes shape heading into next year.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
But how much longer, and how that transition takes shape, has a slew of implications for American workers, international trade, domestic policies – and the Earth’s climate.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for take shape 
Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2024
That’s how everything began, according to the standard scientific story of the Big Bang, a theory that first took shape in the 1920s.
—Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 31 May 2024
There’s hope that a more substantial recovery takes shape heading into next year.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
But how much longer, and how that transition takes shape, has a slew of implications for American workers, international trade, domestic policies – and the Earth’s climate.
—Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for take shape
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take shape.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Take shape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20shape. Accessed 14 Jun. 2024.
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