SHAPE (UP) Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

shape (up) 1 of 2

verb (1)

Definition of shape (up)

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shape up

2 of 2

verb (2)

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

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of shape (up)

Verb

Rodriguez, who shares many similarities with Salazar, may shape up to be a formidable opponent given his strong name recognition, said Gamarra, who lives in District 27. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 With classes starting Thursday, the District U-46 School Board was given an optimistic report Monday on ongoing construction and how things are shaping up for the new school year. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 As this chart from Nancy Vanden Houten at Oxford Economics shows, the 2026 fiscal year was shaping up to have smaller deficits than 2025, until very recently. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 Fall 2026 is shaping up to be a major season for statement footwear, but one of the most polished trends, the high-vamp pump, is surprisingly understated. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shape (up)

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shape (up)

Verb

Color presents a particular problem for cotton recycling because reactive dyes, widely used on cellulosic fibers, form strong covalent bonds with cellulose.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Watching Harithas, impressed with Palestinian art, form the show slowly in his mind, without notes, was a view into the mind of a great curator.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of form

Verb

Pawloski said Amazon seemed to invest fewer resources into improving MTurk at the same time as more data labeling services arrived, causing many turkers to shift to competing platforms.

— Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
This non-greasy, lightweight formula improves scalp health to promote healthy, thicker, and faster hair growth.

— Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of improve

Verb

The incident was quickly followed by a slew of other companies reporting instances where AI agents behaved in unexpected ways.

— Tom Matsuda, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
In another part of the study, the research team saw that fat cells behaved differently when drenched with blood collected from the HIIT folks, including changes involved in many genes that regulate fat and whole-body metabolism.

— Will Stone, NPR, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of behave

Verb

It could be added to a budget trailer bill or amended into an existing bill, depending on how legislative leaders choose to proceed.

— Chaewon Chung Updated August 26, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Based on his reading of the 2022 measure, Hasen concluded that the intent behind it clearly wasn’t to create a new term limit law, but to amend the existing one.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of amend

Verb

Then the attention economy takes over, unleashing too many athletes who speak freely to better themselves rather than a select few who speak bravely to better society.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Parton dedicated her life and career to bettering the world in so many ways, from her Dollywood theme park to her Imagination Library, which has promoted childhood literacy through delivering millions of books to children.

— Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of better

Verb

Child safety experts lauded the settlement and the accompanying pressure campaign as a giant leap forward in the effort to regulate an industry that until this year appeared all but impenetrable to reform, either from the courts or legislatures.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
More recently, Republicans who spent years complaining about Obamacare have failed to abolish it, let alone reform its finances.

— Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of reform

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shapes up

shape (up)

shape up

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“Shape (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shape%20%28up%29. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shape (up)

verb (1)

verb (2)

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