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)
Zach Wichter, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Nowhere is the ham-handed effort more evident than in Texas, where a blend of culture war grievance and incel-targeting rage have circled the sharp-witted but mild-mannered Talarico, whose campaign is shaping up to be a fundraising juggernaut.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2026
Like so many Bay Area voters, Wagner opted to hold his vote and watch how the close race for governor shaped up — particularly on the Democratic side, where a throng of candidates competed fiercely for voters and resisted the calls of party leaders to drop out.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
So far 2026 is shaping up to be the worst summer job market in nearly eight decades.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shape (up)
Verb
Here’s how the industry reshuffle is shaping up so far.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Nowhere is the ham-handed effort more evident than in Texas, where a blend of culture war grievance and incel-targeting rage have circled the sharp-witted but mild-mannered Talarico, whose campaign is shaping up to be a fundraising juggernaut.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2026
Like so many Bay Area voters, Wagner opted to hold his vote and watch how the close race for governor shaped up — particularly on the Democratic side, where a throng of candidates competed fiercely for voters and resisted the calls of party leaders to drop out.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
So far 2026 is shaping up to be the worst summer job market in nearly eight decades.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 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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The essential nature of magic especially intrigues physicists like Swingle, who hope to use it on a quantum computer to simulate how gravity behaves in situations where general relativity fails.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 June 2026
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Germany was the host country of the 2024 European Championships, and the Kansas City police went to view how soccer fans behave.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Verb
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On Monday, SpaceX amended its initial public offering to state that water conditions—including water scarcity, regulations around water, and drought—could constrain data center development.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
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The condo’s founding documents required 100% unit owner approval to terminate the condo association, so the developer tried to use its majority vote to amend that threshold.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
4 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 12 Jun. 2026.
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