take shape

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

Those types of sequences are building-block moments for Williams, competitive victories as the offense continues to take shape. — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026

After a summer of fits and starts, with multibillion dollar developments circling the city, Fort Worth took major steps on Tuesday to regulate and limit the growth of data centers — with a potential moratorium now taking shape. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Aug. 2026

The same direction is taking shape across the ERP mid-market. — Robert Kramer, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The fight is taking shape across a remarkably broad battlefield, from Atlanta’s northern suburbs to exurban communities and rural stretches of Georgia where both parties see opportunities. — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 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