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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Australia had led other countries in imposing limits on social media use for children, but the challenge to shape AI in Australia's interest was greater and demanded action now, he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Built from repeating rings of proteins, the structure was already known to help neurons retain their shape.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
For those who use art to help shade in the textures of their lives — as sticking points to shape a memory — there is no better place to do so than Letterboxd.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Now that they’re done with the Times’ “101 Best California Experiences,” what what will shape their next trips?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
How I have been angry with him and also missed the shape of him standing there, his silhouette.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Back at SHAPE, the most important faces in the crowd are not celebrities or cool kids.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 6, 2019
Naval Academy, for example, requires all midshipmen to participate in a four-year sexual harassment and assault curriculum, known as Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Education, or SHAPE.
From US News ● May 20, 2015
Sick and sixteen, the heroine is the daughter of a U.S. officer who puts her up at a fancy French academy while he assiduously golfs to keep himself in SHAPE.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, he served under Britain's Field Marshal Montgomery, who will now be his deputy commander at SHAPE.
From Time Magazine Archive
As to SHAPE, imagine two large, elongated packets, flat inside, descending right and left, inside the breast, and bearing the heart, suspended between the two, in the middle.
From The History of a Mouthful of Bread And its effect on the organization of men and animals by Macé, Jean
It grabs onto the pasta beautifully, especially shapes like cavatappi, fusilli or shells, while still leaving room for olive oil, citrus, herbs and whatever vegetables happen to be in season.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Keri Hulme shapes her novel out of all three of their voices, a kind of collective poetry of Maori and Celtic mythology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Global temperatures have been rising over the past century due to humanity's emissions of greenhouse gases, but local or regional geography shapes the speed at which different places are warming.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
To overcome those limitations, the researchers developed a powder that can conform to wounds of many different shapes and sizes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
Uncle Kufa made them in the shapes of snakes, animals, and people, and sold them at the trading post.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Attribution science seeks to untangle how much human-caused climate change shaped a specific heat wave, storm or flood, and its findings now shape litigation and policy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Our response to other people’s stories is shaped by our own experiences.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
"Jonathan Trott is someone to keep an eye on because he is shaped and moulded in the form of Andy Flower, both as a player and in the way that he's coached," said Finn.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
This tension between mobility and brain size has shaped not only anatomy but also social behaviour, encouraging cooperative care and cultural adaptations around childbirth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
As the pilots trained at Area 51, people all over the American West started seeing oddly shaped ships soaring far higher than any plane they knew of.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
It’s shaping up to be a rough week for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
“The circumstances are different between the two states,” said David Farmer, a Maine-based Democratic strategist, “but it’s certainly shaping up to be a strange midterm election with enormous stakes for the country.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
And despite what those masked men might believe, every one of us has a role in shaping its next chapter.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
This year’s job market is shaping up to be surprisingly stable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
After Pearl had begun to snore softly, Mia kept her hand in place, as if she were a sculptor shaping Pearl’s shoulder blades.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
