shaped (up) 1 of 2

past tense of shape (up)
as in formed
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

shaped up

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of shape up
as in straightened (up or out)
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 shaped (up)
Verb
Frost, who led Nebraska to two national titles as a quarterback, likes the way his quarterback room has shaped up over the past eight months. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 Stacey Barchenger Warren Petersen and Rodney Glassman crisscrossed the state for more than a year courting Republican voters in what shaped up to be a bruising primary election race. — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 21 July 2026 In Texas, a heated and expensive race has shaped up between Democrat James Talarico, a state representative who is facing Republican Ken Paxton, the state attorney general. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 The home has shaped up since then. — Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar, Architectural Digest, 4 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 The battle shaped up with 2,800 Americans facing 8,000 Hessians (mercenary soldiers from six German territories in the Holy Roman Empire. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026 Carl Wilson held a lead Tuesday night in the special election for a City Council seat on Manhattan’s West Side against Lindsey Boylan, in what has shaped up as a proxy battle in the ongoing power struggle between Mayor Mamdani and Council Speaker Julie Menin. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026 After the cold open, however, the episode shaped up to be a solid one. — Charu Sinha, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaped (up)
Verb
  • On Tuesday, Elon Musk, the CEO and largest shareholder of both companies, said the electric vehicle maker and the rocket company had formed special committees at the request of shareholders to discuss the idea.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • By studying Mars' moons, scientists hope to learn whether Phobos and Deimos formed in the aftermath of an ancient collision between Mars and a battering space rock.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The experiments showed that CARL improved tracking performance by up to 15 percent compared with existing methods, including during tests on physical robots.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Middle East improved quarterly, but remained a drag on performance, notably for Miu Miu.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In October 2025, Guatemala’s Congress amended several laws to designate the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs as transnational criminal and terrorist organizations.
    — Almudena Calatrava, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The original proposal included employers of all sizes, but the Board of Health amended the policy to exempt small businesses.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Had one of the girls behaved that way, she probably would have been removed from the game.
    — Jonathan Alpert OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The vegetables’ changing moisture, texture and shape also meant no two instruments behaved exactly alike.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 5 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shaped (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaped%20%28up%29. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster