as in to form
to take on a definite form
this group of summer interns is shaping up to be one of the best we've ever hired
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to improve
to change one's behavior or character for the better
told his son that if he didn't shape up, he'd be grounded for a month
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shape (up)
Tony Sadiku, CBS News, 10 June 2026
However, Armatus is shaping up to be a much better title.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 10 June 2026
Wednesday was shaping up to be one of the Red Sox’s worst offensive efforts of the season.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
The 2028 Summer Olympics, also known as LA28, are shaping up to be one of the most unconventional Olympic Games in modern history – not because of new stadiums or architectural spectacle, but precisely because of their absence.
—New Atlas, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Verb
After some hot, humid and stormy days Thursday and Friday, the weekend is shaping up nicely, with clear skies and temperatures in the 80s expected for Saturday and Sunday.
—Tony Sadiku, CBS News, 10 June 2026
However, Armatus is shaping up to be a much better title.
—Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 10 June 2026
Wednesday was shaping up to be one of the Red Sox’s worst offensive efforts of the season.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
The 2028 Summer Olympics, also known as LA28, are shaping up to be one of the most unconventional Olympic Games in modern history – not because of new stadiums or architectural spectacle, but precisely because of their absence.
—New Atlas, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shape (up)
Verb
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Building computer power The national AI supercomputer will form part of the UK’s broader AI Research Resource, which already includes systems such as Isambard-AI and Zenith.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
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The election showed that economic concerns and the failure of the opposition to form a coherent counter to Pashinyan outweighed the unpopularity of some of his foreign policy ventures.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2026
Verb
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But Intel still faces major challenges, particularly in its chip-manufacturing foundry business, which has struggled to add more clients and improve production quality, analysts said.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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By shrinking the motor footprint, manufacturers can free up valuable chassis space, improve overall packaging efficiency, and potentially enhance vehicle performance and range through better system integration.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
Verb
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By then, OpenAI had rolled out its GPT-4o model, which the lawsuit claims was designed to keep users hooked, and enabled ChatGPT to behave like an unlicensed therapist.—
Lauren Fichten,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
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The risk, Hedin argues, is that organisations begin to sound — and eventually behave — alike.—
Heather Farmbrough,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Michelle Ford, a soil scientist and wildlife biologist who owns EcoMaps, said Silverman over the past two months had addressed her concerns about wetlands protection by amending plans.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
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Keeth is scheduled to appear in court next Thursday, court records showed, which is when the prosecution will request that the presiding judge amend the charge to vehicular manslaughter.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Verb
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That requirement could give them power to better the city’s rotten hand, even if only in a small way, some aldermen believe.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
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Overall, Hungary scored 25 goals in their four matches en route to the final, with Kocsis’ 11 for the tournament only bettered by France’s Just Fontaine’s 13 in 1958.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Hudson has offered a more moderate approach, saying the Senate should reform the process into a talking filibuster to allow Republicans to push the SAVE Act.—
Joseph Nepomuceno,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2026
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Their push to reform the state’s 2008 Biometric Information Privacy Act — which allows people to sue companies for collecting personal data without informed consent — went nowhere.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shape (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shape%20%28up%29. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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