shape
noun
the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure.
shape
1 American
[sheyp]
/ ʃeɪp /
noun
-
shapes
plural
-
the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure.
- Synonyms:
- appearance, silhouette
-
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.
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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.
verb (used with object)
-
shapes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shaped,
past participle, past
-
shaping
present participle
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
shapes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shaped,
past participle, past
-
shaping
present participle
verb phrase
idioms
SHAPE
2
American
[sheyp]
/ ʃeɪp /
Or
Shape
noun
shape
1
British
/ ʃeɪp /
noun
-
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
verb
-
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
SHAPE
2
British
/ ʃeɪp /
acronym
shape
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
See form.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preshapenoun
-
shapernoun
-
outshapeverb (used with object)
-
transshapeverb (used with object)
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shapableadjective
-
shapeableadjective
-
unshapableadjective
-
unshapeableadjective
-
unshapingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shapesimple
-
shapessimple
-
have shapedperfect
-
has shapedperfect
-
am shapingprogressive
-
are shapingprogressive
-
is shapingprogressive
-
have been shapingperfect progressive
-
has been shapingperfect progressive
Past
-
shapedsimple
-
had shapedperfect
-
was shapingprogressive
-
were shapingprogressive
-
had been shapingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shape
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”
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing shape
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Close Reading: The Art and Craft of Rhetorical Analysis (Chapter 2)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In other words, ecology may have helped shape both dietary behavior and human biology.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Oldenburg later said in an interview that their works differed in that Kusama relied on objects in a single, repeated shape, whereas his soft sculptures represented true-to-life objects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
His Irish roots on his mother's side also helped shape his political outlook.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The Sept. 11 attacks and the advent of social media fundamentally changed the shape of country music and what it meant to be a chart-topper.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
An idea took shape in the back of my head.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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
This ingenious and complicated scheme was designed to revive German arms without reviving German militarism: it would place German divisions beside French, Italian and Benelux divisions, in a multilingual army reporting to SHAPE.
From Time Magazine Archive
But at Marnes-la-Coquette, the 14-room French mansion which the Eisen howers occupied when Ike commanded SHAPE, Mamie served a unique appren ticeship for life in the White House.
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 Jean Macé
Social media fuelled a spike in interest over recent years – with her museum's bold floral shapes and shiny steel orbs turning into a desired backdrop for selfies and poses.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
And it was not until the 1990s that her vivid patterns, bold floral shapes and shiny steel orbs hit the mainstream, later providing the backdrop to countless selfies.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Physicists have been trying to understand the shapes and internal structures of atomic nuclei for more than 70 years.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Orders that ask for unique colors, name engravings and shapes now make up nearly a third of Adeyemo’s business.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
I see some mouths open in O shapes and someone makes the dreaded Ooooooh sound.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
He said his ultra-Orthodox upbringing had shaped his "socialist" outlook, as his father had followed the Jewish commandment to give charity to the poor.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Dolly has shaped much of my life as a drag artist,” Bandit wrote on Instagram, calling her a “queen who has changed the world with her love, artistry, and GLAM! my diva forever.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Those guys shaped so much of my life,” said the 28-year-old Burton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"The stars in a stellar stream all travel along nearly the same orbit, and that orbit is shaped by the galaxy's gravity," said Northwestern's Tjitske Starkenburg, who coauthored the study.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Nhamo passed the hill shaped like a waterbuck’s ear and found the three baobabs.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
John Whitehurst, chief executive of GTR, said passenger feedback had played a key role in shaping the plans.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Owens isn’t just talking about short-term elections, but shaping her listeners’ world views, Spencer said.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Explore the forces shaping the global landscape through expert-led conversations, off-the-record discussions, networking and exclusive dinners at Christ Church and Blenheim Palace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Crucially, the company run by Jensen Huang sits at the center of much of the dealmaking that’s shaping the AI boom.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
