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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shape (up)
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
The Miami Hurricanes’ 2027 recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the best in school history.
—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Throw in Harry Kane, who had two goals in England’s opening match but was held scoreless against Ghana on Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who struggled in Portugal’s opener but scored twice against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, and the Golden Boot race is shaping up to be generational.
—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
This comes at a moment when two of the largest AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, are considering selling their stocks to the market in what is shaping up to be two of the largest IPOs in history.
—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Verb
Here's how the governor's primary shaped up and other key June 23 Maryland race results, according to the Associated Press and CNN.
—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
The Miami Hurricanes’ 2027 recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the best in school history.
—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Throw in Harry Kane, who had two goals in England’s opening match but was held scoreless against Ghana on Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who struggled in Portugal’s opener but scored twice against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, and the Golden Boot race is shaping up to be generational.
—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
This comes at a moment when two of the largest AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, are considering selling their stocks to the market in what is shaping up to be two of the largest IPOs in history.
—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shape (up)
Verb
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Your 11th House of Friends tilts against routines as the instinctive Moon forms a quincunx to passionate Mars in your 6th House of Work.
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In Darwin’s day, of course, the processes by which gametes are formed and then fused had yet to be discovered.
Verb
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How airlines and airports can do better Maglione and Riccobono both said that training and implementing new technology can go a long way toward improving the flying experience for blind travelers.
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The Sparks improved to 7-0 in games when the four-time All-Star has six-plus assists (Plum had seven), and the team posted a season-high 28 assists.
Verb
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Real Application Testing, also discounted, lets organizations assess how an application will behave under a patch or upgrade before deploying it in production, reducing the risk that a routine update or patch will break something critical.
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Treasury yields eased in the bond market after a report said inflation is behaving pretty much as economists expected.
Verb
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Board members amended the proposal Thursday after raising concerns that the original language could unintentionally affect students living outside the United States who enroll in online programs at Florida universities.
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The council eventually approved allocating $20,000 to the town’s sustaining grant program and allowed applicants to amend their proposal to account for the increase funds.
Verb
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In 2014, Messi began with that famously outrageous winner against Bosnia, arguably bettered it against Iran a few days later, with a splendid winner in stoppage time.
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Hale, meanwhile, switched parties last year, arguing that running as a Republican will better his chances at beating Moore.
Verb
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In its letter, the LAPPL said after a thorough review of communications between the city there was nothing specific on reforming police oversight, police discipline or any other matter about the LAPD.
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The most noticeable change in Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh’s oversight of the central bank, compared to his predecessor, Jerome Powell, is his determination to reform the institution.
Cite this Entry
“Shape (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shape%20%28up%29. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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