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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of shaped (up)
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
Saturday’s matchup shaped up to be another back-and-forth affair.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The change in plans shaped up to be a huge hit.
—CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Throw in an attempt to help part of Illinois secede and join the Hoosier state and visits from everyone from Tucker Carlson to JD Vance, and 2025 has shaped up to be quite a barn burner.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025
If Joe Burrow were playing, this could have shaped up to be a barnburner a la December along the Ohio River.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
The race had shaped up as one of the best of the 35 runnings of the Pacific Classic after Repole and Pletcher decided to ship Fierceness out from New York and lead owner Aron Wellman and trainer McCarthy opted to keep Journalism in California.
—Kevin Modesti, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Saturday’s matchup shaped up to be another back-and-forth affair.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The change in plans shaped up to be a huge hit.
—CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Throw in an attempt to help part of Illinois secede and join the Hoosier state and visits from everyone from Tucker Carlson to JD Vance, and 2025 has shaped up to be quite a barn burner.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025
If Joe Burrow were playing, this could have shaped up to be a barnburner a la December along the Ohio River.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
The race had shaped up as one of the best of the 35 runnings of the Pacific Classic after Repole and Pletcher decided to ship Fierceness out from New York and lead owner Aron Wellman and trainer McCarthy opted to keep Journalism in California.
—Kevin Modesti, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaped (up)
Verb
-
Budget-conscious passengers, many of them young, formed a seemingly endless security line snaking around the rotunda, which features a twelve-foot-high mural depicting the history of flight.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
The scientists theorize that the two types of crystal formed under the same temperatures and pressures in the blast, but in areas where copper was readily available, the quasicrystal formed, and where copper was scarce, the clathrate resulted.—
Clara Moskowitz,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Joao Pedro has improved in that role throughout the season, but having other physically strong attackers return from injury will be important.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Smartphone cameras have improved dramatically over the past decade, but the moment of capture still remains surprisingly difficult.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Plant in well-draining soil amended with organic matter, and give them enough water so the top few inches of soil remain moist.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
17 May 2026
-
More than a dozen are rumored to be on his shortlist for axing, after several more were voluntarily killed or amended to avoid the gallows.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Simulations and live tests To evaluate the drone interceptor, the engineers carried out computer simulations and analyzed how metal chains between three and four millimeters thick behaved when colliding with model drones.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
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There is also a sense from that source that Carvajal could have behaved in a way more befitting of a captain at times.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaped (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaped%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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