the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure.
this quality as found in some individual object or body form.
This lake has a peculiar shape.
something seen in outline, as in silhouette.
A vague shape appeared through the mist.
an imaginary form; phantom.
an assumed appearance; guise.
an angel in the shape of a woman.
a particular or definite organized form or expression.
He could give no shape to his ideas.
proper form; orderly arrangement.
condition or state of repair.
The old house was in bad shape. He was sick last year, but is in good shape now.
the collective conditions forming a way of life or mode of existence.
What will the shape of the future be?
the figure, physique, or body of a person, especially of a woman.
A dancer can keep her shape longer than those of us who have sedentary jobs.
something used to give form, as a mold or a pattern.
Also called section. Building Trades, Metalworking. a flanged metal beam or bar of uniform section, as a channel iron, I-beam, etc.
Nautical. a ball, cone, drum, etc., used as a day signal, singly or in combinations, to designate a vessel at anchor or engaged in some particular operation.
to give definite form, shape, organization, or character to; fashion or form.
to couch or express in words.
to shape a statement.
to adjust; adapt.
He shaped everything to suit his taste.
to direct (one's course, future, etc.).
to file the teeth of (a saw) to uniform width after jointing.
Animal Behavior, Psychology. to teach (a desired behavior) to a human or other animal by successively rewarding the actions that more and more closely approximate that behavior.
Obsolete. to appoint; decree.
the outward form of an object defined by outline
the figure or outline of the body of a person
a phantom
organized or definite form
my plans are taking shape
the form that anything assumes; guise
something used to provide or define form; pattern; mould
condition or state of efficiency
to be in good shape
in bad physical condition
bent, twisted, or deformed
to assume a definite form
to receive or cause to receive shape or form
(tr) to mould into a particular pattern or form; modify
(tr) to plan, devise, or prepare
to shape a plan of action
an obsolete word for appoint
See form.
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English gesceapu (plural); replacing dialectal shap, Middle English; Old English gesceap (singular); cognate with Old Norse skap “state, mood”; (verb) Middle English; Old English sceapen (past participle); replacing Middle English sheppe, shippe, Old English sceppan, scyppan; cognate with German schaffen, Old Norse skepja, Gothic -skapjan “to make”
The form of something gives it its shape. Basic shapes include the square, the circle, and the triangle. You may have a nose the shape of a ski slope. When you admire someone's shape, you're admiring their form, or their body. When you're out of shape or vowing to get back into shape, you're using shape to refer to your physical stamina or overall health. You can shape something by giving it form, as in "shape the dough into a braided twist," or influence someone, as in a teacher who shapes young minds.
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Appeared in the May 12, 2026, print edition as '‘Nacho’ Trade Takes Shape on Wall Street'.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
Guillermo del Toro’s film calls to mind his own 2018 winner, “The Shape of Water.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
Written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson from a short story by Ursula Wills-Jones, the satirical comedy covers much of the same thematic territory as the Oscar winner “The Shape of Water.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
Shape and aroma be damned, these were his dishes dressed up in ginger and bamboo.
From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025
Please see The Shape of a Melodyl0 for children's activities covering melodic contour.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
