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
Meanwhile, something more embodied is quietly taking shape.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 28 Nov. 2025
With some rosters already taking shape after the recent trades of Sonny Gray and the Brandon Nimmo swap for Marcus Semien, the stove is heating up in the weeks before the winter meetings.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
For Mavi, that expansion takes shape in a healthier, more fulfilling personal life, and an environment that inspired a freer creative approach on The Pilot.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2025
The upper-level trough that lingered over the East Coast took shape in tandem with a dip in the jet stream, which together produced a low-pressure area close to the surface of the ocean just several hundred miles from land, said Rosencrans.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take shape
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Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 28 Nov. 2025
With some rosters already taking shape after the recent trades of Sonny Gray and the Brandon Nimmo swap for Marcus Semien, the stove is heating up in the weeks before the winter meetings.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
For Mavi, that expansion takes shape in a healthier, more fulfilling personal life, and an environment that inspired a freer creative approach on The Pilot.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2025
The upper-level trough that lingered over the East Coast took shape in tandem with a dip in the jet stream, which together produced a low-pressure area close to the surface of the ocean just several hundred miles from land, said Rosencrans.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 25 Nov. 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 3 Dec. 2025.
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