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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As the days grow longer and vacation plans take shape, there's no better time to expand your financial knowledge with some of the most influential investment books ever written. Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025 Important questions remain about Pritzker’s plans for education spending, in particular, but the final budget is taking shape. David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025 But along the way, as Jia, now 54, became one of China’s foremost filmmakers and a major figure in world cinema, something different began to take shape. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 May 2025 But there were a few sophomores and freshmen on that team, and the mentality of learning through losses began to take shape. Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 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 30 May. 2025.

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