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
As military leaders and legal experts zeroed in on the details, a loose program took shape.
—Colin Jones, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
Frontier Firms are already taking shape—and in the next few years, most organizations will be pushed to follow.
—Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
But all these initiatives took shape as Washington cut back the U.S. military presence in Asia to focus on crises in Europe and the Middle East.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
That vision took shape quickly, starting with a bag of chips.
—Amelia Hurley, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take shape
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Colin Jones, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025
Frontier Firms are already taking shape—and in the next few years, most organizations will be pushed to follow.
—Nirit Cohen, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
But all these initiatives took shape as Washington cut back the U.S. military presence in Asia to focus on crises in Europe and the Middle East.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
That vision took shape quickly, starting with a bag of chips.
—Amelia Hurley, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take shape
Cite this Entry
“Take shape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20shape. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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