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Synonyms

shape-up

American  
[sheyp-uhp] / ˈʃeɪpˌʌp /
Or shapeup

noun

  1. an act or instance of shaping up.

  2. a former method of hiring longshoremen in which the applicants appeared daily at the docks and a union hiring boss chose those who would be given work.

shape up British  

verb

  1. informal to proceed or develop satisfactorily

  2. informal to develop a definite or proper form

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. (formerly) a method of hiring dockers for a day or shift by having a union hiring boss select them from a gathering of applicants

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
shape up Idioms  

  1. Turn out, develop; see take shape .

  2. Improve so as to meet a standard, as in The coach told the team that they'd better shape up or they'd be at the bottom of the league . This usage was first recorded in 1938.

  3. shape up or ship out Behave yourself or be forced to leave, as in The new supervisor told Tom he'd have to shape up or ship out . This expression originated in the 1940s, during World War II, as a threat that if one didn't behave in an appropriate military manner one would be sent overseas to a combat zone. After the war it was transferred to other situations calling for improved performance.

Etymology

Origin of shape-up

First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase shape up

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.

One of the substantial victories of the 1934 Bay Area strike was the replacement of the shape-up system—the informal hustle for day labor work—with a union-operated hiring hall that worked to racially integrate the workforce.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2019

Gonzalez explained he usually gets a haircut on Thursday or Friday and a shape-up on Monday, but he recently went a week without anything.

From Washington Post • Aug. 27, 2018

He crusaded against the shape-up system of hiring, in which dock workers had to compete daily for jobs, often at the price of illicit payments.

From New York Times • Jun. 26, 2015

"OK then. Come in next Monday for shape-up."

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2014

I knew that I could get away with not having a fresh shape-up easier than they could get away with not chopping that Sunday dinner off the tops of their heads.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

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.