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shaping

verb

present participle of shape
1
as in adjusting
to change (something) so as to make it suitable for a new use or situation a dress shaped to the customer's particular figure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in planning
to work out the details of (something) in advance over the winter the committee shaped the company's new marketing strategy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 shaping The concern is accuracy while injured, medicated, or uncertain, not shaping a story. — Matthew Kayser, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026 Quilling involves rolling, shaping and gluing thin strips of paper to create flowers, monograms and other designs. — Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026 There are important conversations happening in these online spaces about which artists are shaping the pop landscape, or making decisions that stand out from the onslaught of releases. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2026 At 5, as incoming customers poured in, Voraotsady started shaping the dumplings in the open kitchen in front of the bar, while chatting with regulars. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026 From political leaders and global allies to doctors and public health officials, trust is shaping nearly every major debate in America. — Bill Wachsberger, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026 While exposure to individual companies is reduced, exposure to the broader economic forces shaping those companies may be less meaningfully changed. — Artem Milinchuk, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Everyone from the president of the New York Yankees (Randy Levine) to an oil billionaire (Cody Campbell) to a private equity firm (Smash Capital) is shaping the future of college athletics with no meaningful input from actual college athletes. — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 This is part of how Hollywood helped make the gerbil legend, shaping stars to deliver fantasies but telling lies along the way. — Allen Salkin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaping
  1. adjusting
  2. planning
  3. adapting
  4. preparing
  5. tailoring
  6. designing
  7. putting
  8. organizing
Verb
  • The deaths were sudden and unexpected as their health wavered amid the challenges of adjusting to a new home, according to statements from the aquariums.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In response, retailers are adjusting their marketing approaches to target the value-conscious early holiday shopper as opposed to expecting to capture the consumer during a few peak shopping days throughout the holiday season.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of adjusting
Verb
  • As talks between the two sides continue — with the expectation that the situation could come to a head as soon as Sunday night — antimerger activists are planning a series of rallies in Oakland, Los Angeles and New York.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Weida, a passenger on the bus, was planning to celebrate his 32nd birthday with his family this Saturday.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of planning
Verb
  • This doesn’t mean adapting to screen size or device (adaptive or responsive design), but changing the interface structure to a specific user’s behavior.
    — Polina Chebanova, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Once factory manufacturing lines are established and production costs drop, engineers can begin adapting the technology for the broader electrical grid.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of adapting
Verb
  • Zelenskyy said Ukraine was also preparing for a meeting with von der Leyen at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week focused on the country's financial stability.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Know More Republican leaders are preparing for Democratic opponents of the college sports bill to dig in, dragging out the rest of the schedule.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of preparing
Verb
  • Now Hoekstra is taking that argument and tailoring it to online betting platforms.
    — Jake Rosenwasser, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • One subject, the podcaster Andrew Gold, begins tailoring his content to anti-woke audiences, racking up huge numbers by playing to the preexisting grievances of his angry followers.
    — Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of tailoring
Verb
  • Her research includes designing offshore systems for recovering critical resources from the ocean.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The company’s origin story is that the Saudi Crown Prince steered them into designing something unlike any other car.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of designing
Verb
  • Ultimately, Jenkins capped the drive with a 4-yard keeper, putting UCF ahead 34-27 with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
    — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The incident Sunday involved the top fashion executive forcibly restraining two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and putting his hands over their mouths at the runway show for Cos, a brand owned by H&M.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of putting
Verb
  • Their brand names have some modest residual value but their original purpose—organizing content into a schedule—is entirely anachronistic today.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Stop organizing your attention by the calendar; start letting the client’s life trigger it.
    — Lital Marom, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of organizing

Browse Nearby Words

shape up
shaping
shaping (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaping. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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