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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Advertisement The warmer oceans, coupled with already record warming due to climate change, means that 2027 could shape up to be the warmest year on record. — Simmone Shah, Time, 11 Sep. 2026 There are also chocolate brown ballet flats—a rich neutral that’s shaping up to be everywhere this season—plus deals from Sorel, Adidas, and Allswifit, the affordable brand shoppers often compare to Hoka. — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2026 The album is shaping up to be another genre-hopping entry in Tinashe’s catalog, with the singer moving between dance, pop and R&B without sounding solely interested in picking just one lane. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2026 Next week, the last time the House will be in session until after the midterm elections, is shaping up to be busy. — John Wilkerson, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shape (up)

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shape (up)

Verb

After a year’s discussion, Nussbaum’s group decided to form an organization.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
As ballot stations opened in Casablanca and Rabat, voters of various ages formed small but continuous lines to cast their ballots.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of form

Verb

Computer simulations indicate that one of the geometries studied by the team could improve NMR sensitivity and accuracy by roughly an order of magnitude.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
The agreement bucks the utility’s typical process of building, operating and sometimes improving power plants and other infrastructure, such as transmission lines, and then collecting that money from customers in their monthly electricity bills.

— Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of improve

Verb

Either properly discouraged by the police presence or too damned hot to fight, people largely behaved.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
In office, however, Fetterman entered treatment for depression and later began behaving so erratically that Jentleson resigned as his chief of staff and alerted the senator’s doctor.

— Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of behave

Verb

Boy employees or those linked to Combs have been stalled, amended, or quietly abandoned.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
If their tax refund was inflated by claiming tax credits that don't apply to them, the taxpayer had to verify their ID first and then amend a return before any federal income tax refund could be issued.

— Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of amend

Verb

Yet again, nobody on the field bettered the Bosnian’s 13 defensive contributions, the majority of which came down to his nine clearances.

— Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 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

His promise to free Jair Bolsonaro is presented not as a rejection of the rule of law but as part of a broader pledge to reform institutions that, in his telling, have exceeded their proper authority.

— Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Her Social Democratic predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, did the same in 2004 after his popularity sank during a drive to reform Germany's welfare system.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of reform

Browse Nearby Words

shapes up

shape (up)

shape up

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Shape (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shape%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shape (up)

verb (1)

verb (2)

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

confabulate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes