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• shape
  shape

  noun

  the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure.
• SHAPE
  SHAPE

  noun

  Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe.

shape

¹ American  

[shayp] / ʃeɪp /

noun

• shapes
  plural

1. the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure.

   Synonyms:

   appearance, silhouette

2. this quality as found in some individual object or body form.

   This lake has a peculiar shape.

3. something seen in outline, as in silhouette.

   A vague shape appeared through the mist.

4. an imaginary form; phantom.

   Synonyms:

   illusion, specter

5. an assumed appearance; guise.

   an angel in the shape of a woman.

6. a particular or definite organized form or expression.

   He could give no shape to his ideas.

7. proper form; orderly arrangement.

   Synonyms:

   pattern, order

8. condition or state of repair.

   The old house was in bad shape. He was sick last year, but is in good shape now.

   Synonyms:

   situation, order

9. the collective conditions forming a way of life or mode of existence.

   What will the shape of the future be?

10. 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.

11. something used to give form, as a mold or a pattern.

12. Also called section. Building Trades, Metalworking. a flanged metal beam or bar of uniform section, as a channel iron, I-beam, etc.

13. 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.

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verb (used with object)

• shapes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shaped,
  past participle,  past
• shaping
  present participle

1. to give definite form, shape, organization, or character to; fashion or form.

   Synonyms:

   model, mold

2. to couch or express in words.

   to shape a statement.

3. to adjust; adapt.

   He shaped everything to suit his taste.

4. to direct (one's course, future, etc.).

5. to file the teeth of (a saw) to uniform width after jointing.

6. 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.

7. Obsolete. to appoint; decree.

verb (used without object)

• shapes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shaped,
  past participle,  past
• shaping
  present participle

1. to come to a desired conclusion or take place in a specified way.

   If discussions shape properly, the companies will merge.

verb phrase

1. shape up

   1. to assume a specific form.

      The plan is beginning to shape up.

   2. to evolve or develop, especially favorably.

   3. to improve one's behavior or performance to meet a required standard.

   4. to get oneself into good physical condition.

   5. (of longshoremen) to get into a line or formation in order to be assigned the day's work.

idioms

1. take shape, to assume a fixed form; become definite.

   The house is beginning to take shape.

SHAPE ² American  

[shayp] / ʃeɪp /

Or Shape

noun

1. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe.

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shape ¹ British  

/ ʃeɪp /

noun

1. the outward form of an object defined by outline

2. the figure or outline of the body of a person

3. a phantom

4. organized or definite form

   my plans are taking shape

5. the form that anything assumes; guise

6. something used to provide or define form; pattern; mould

7. condition or state of efficiency

   to be in good shape

8. 1. in bad physical condition

   2. bent, twisted, or deformed

9. to assume a definite form

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verb

1. to receive or cause to receive shape or form

2. (tr) to mould into a particular pattern or form; modify

3. (tr) to plan, devise, or prepare

   to shape a plan of action

4. an obsolete word for appoint

SHAPE ² British  

/ ʃeɪp /

acronym

1. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

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shape More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing shape

• bent out of shape
• in condition (shape)
• lick into shape
• take shape

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Synonym Usage

See form.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preshape
  noun
• shaper
  noun
• outshape
  verb (used with object)
• transshape
  verb (used with object)
• shapable
  adjective
• shapeable
  adjective
• unshapable
  adjective
• unshapeable
  adjective
• unshaping
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shapes
  plural

Participles

• shaping
  present
• shaped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shape
  simple
• shapes
  simple
• have shaped
  perfect
• has shaped
  perfect
• am shaping
  progressive
• are shaping
  progressive
• is shaping
  progressive
• have been shaping
  perfect progressive
• has been shaping
  perfect progressive

Past

• shaped
  simple
• had shaped
  perfect
• was shaping
  progressive
• were shaping
  progressive
• had been shaping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shape
  simple
• will have shaped
  perfect
• will be shaping
  progressive
• will have been shaping
  perfect progressive

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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”

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shape SHAPE shapes shaped shaping

Pope Leo XIV heads to South America on Friday for an emotionally charged reunion with the continent that helped shape his priesthood, three weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Given how sharply many AI stocks and bonds have sold off lately, there could be room for more relief as Democrats’ plans come into shape.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

A statement by the club on Thursday said players, members, key stakeholders and the ECB had been consulted over several months in order to "shape an exciting new chapter in our evolution".

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

“It’s not working,” Corona said, telling me she visits other cities that are in better shape and wonders why L.A. can’t sort through its bureaucratic sclerosis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

At first I could make out nothing in the dark car; then in a corner I saw a tall, uneven shape.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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

The reason: President Truman had chosen him to succeed General Eisenhower at SHAPE.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hoffman, just back from a visit with Ike at SHAPE, will take a leave from the presidency of the Ford Foundation to work as principal salesman, idea man and talent scout of the Ike campaign.

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

This principle is especially important when working with nanoparticles, which are extremely small pieces of matter whose shapes, sizes, and properties can be adjusted for different purposes.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

Miller, the car historian and consultant, says artists such as Sonia Delaunay were well known for transforming cars, including the 1925 Citroën B12, with geometric shapes many years before.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

The moment is almost unassuming in its speed, but it permanently shapes everything that follows.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

Its outcomes will affect how the December summit shapes up.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

He put the parchment back into Rowan's hands and watched gravely as once again marks, shapes, and lines appeared on its surface, faint at first, but growing clearer by the second.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

A quintessential American author gets his due: There are countless American writers who have shaped the country’s literary landscape, but one famous figure rarely gets mentioned in the conversation.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026

Laura spoke to Dr Sian Williams, host of BBC Radio 4's Life Changing podcast, about her decision to take the test and how it has shaped the rest of her life.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Doherty said the dispute resonated strongly in a city shaped by civil-rights campaigns and Northern Ireland's decades-long Troubles conflict.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Their surprising similarities, preserved surface characteristics, and unexpected numbers offer important clues about the processes that shaped the planets billions of years ago.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Choked with dread, I expected the nurse to lead me to an empty bed, her hands folded and her face shaped in careful sympathy.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

So who are the men vying for a place in Pocognoli's rescue squad shaping up?

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Prediction markets, Mansour said, gave a “better forecast” than public polls and would be more trustworthy than media members at shaping public opinion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

It participated in broader processes shaping the western Mediterranean.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

And that cycle is shaping up to be so large as to dwarf those that came before it, by his calculations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Even though China actually had the biggest economy in the world in the eighteenth century, it was Western countries, companies, and explorers who were doing most of the globalizing and shaping of the system.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

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Related Words

• architecture
• aspect
• body
• configuration
• contour
• format
• frame
• model
• outline
• pattern
• shadow
• silhouette

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