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

The 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

… the first half of the century, before the modern medical system took shape.

—Geoffrey Cowley

Examples of take shape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Continue reading … POLITICS ON THE BRINK — Senate races to avert third shutdown as DHS deal takes shape. —FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026

As global liners like HMM and Maersk undergoing their own restructuring, India’s first national ocean carrier is beginning to take shape. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Feb. 2026

As the list takes shape, so do the similarities that unify the restaurants on it and a theme starts to materialize. —Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 8 Feb. 2026

Gabe’s path into financial planning took shape through varied experiences that strengthened his understanding of complex systems and real-world decision-making. —Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take shape

• cityscape
• agape
• escape
• landscape
• lenape
• reshape
• seascape
• soundscape
• ape
• cape
• crape
• crepe