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)
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
The Miami Hurricanes’ 2027 recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the best in school history.
—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Throw in Harry Kane, who had two goals in England’s opening match but was held scoreless against Ghana on Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who struggled in Portugal’s opener but scored twice against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, and the Golden Boot race is shaping up to be generational.
—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
This comes at a moment when two of the largest AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, are considering selling their stocks to the market in what is shaping up to be two of the largest IPOs in history.
—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Verb
Here's how the governor's primary shaped up and other key June 23 Maryland race results, according to the Associated Press and CNN.
—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
The Miami Hurricanes’ 2027 recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the best in school history.
—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Throw in Harry Kane, who had two goals in England’s opening match but was held scoreless against Ghana on Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who struggled in Portugal’s opener but scored twice against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, and the Golden Boot race is shaping up to be generational.
—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
This comes at a moment when two of the largest AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, are considering selling their stocks to the market in what is shaping up to be two of the largest IPOs in history.
—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shape (up)
Verb
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Your 11th House of Friends tilts against routines as the instinctive Moon forms a quincunx to passionate Mars in your 6th House of Work.
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In Darwin’s day, of course, the processes by which gametes are formed and then fused had yet to be discovered.
Verb
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Kyle Schwarber is threatening home run records, even as pitching continues to improve.
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Jupiter enters your 6th House of Work and Health, encouraging kinder routines that improve well-being and lighten daily tasks.
Verb
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Being a pro athlete doesn’t exempt you from behaving respectfully in society.
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But Dumont wanted to look beyond insects to find out know how the spindle behaves in mammalian cells like ours.
Verb
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Board members amended the proposal Thursday after raising concerns that the original language could unintentionally affect students living outside the United States who enroll in online programs at Florida universities.
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The council eventually approved allocating $20,000 to the town’s sustaining grant program and allowed applicants to amend their proposal to account for the increase funds.
Verb
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In 2014, Messi began with that famously outrageous winner against Bosnia, arguably bettered it against Iran a few days later, with a splendid winner in stoppage time.
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Hale, meanwhile, switched parties last year, arguing that running as a Republican will better his chances at beating Moore.
Verb
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States like Georgia and Oregon have shown what aligned policy can accomplish, linking child care access to postsecondary persistence and reforming subsidy programs to recognize that school and work are not mutually exclusive.
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Post-Ronnettes, Ronnie pursued a solo career, briefly reformed the group with two new members and collaborated with the likes of Eddie Money, Southside Johnny and Joey Ramone.
Cite this Entry
“Shape (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shape%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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