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
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Now, above those same cellars, a new chapter is taking shape. Rachel King, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025 The rest of the lottery started to take shape with a change, when Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe was taken third by the 76ers. Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025 The Bear just served up yet another cliffhanger, but the potential end of the award-winning series is starting to take shape. EW.com, 26 June 2025 Netanyahu is less than enthusiastic about Trump’s message The agreement began taking shape early Sunday morning, soon after the U.S. military carried out blistering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites that U.S. defense officials said have set back Tehran’s nuclear program. Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for take shape

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take shape was in 1560

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Cite this Entry

“Take shape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20shape. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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