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Glite Dictionary
📈 To progress well 💪 To improve behavior
to shape up

to shape up

48 3.2
Start to get better and more complete
  • phrasal verb
  • /ʃeɪp ʌp/
: ir bien
  • After a few weeks of practice, the project is finally starting to shape up nicely.
  • things are shaping up
  • election is shaping up
  • battle is shaping up

Now the spring break trip is shaping up and it's turning into a tour of the Northeastern United States, including New York, where the you know, the.

Examples

  • Things were beginning to shape up.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • How is the production shaping up?

    Fiction book (1991)

  • - Things are starting to shape up.

    Bugsy (1991)

  • Looks like it's gonna shape up okay.

    Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

  • This is shaping up really, really well.

  • India has miles to go before the organized retail sector shapes up.

    Blog text (14)

  • The vale prospectus is shaping up well.

    Dad (1989)

  • Very intrigued to see how this all shapes up come Nov. 18.

    Blog text (34)

  • With the company having closed on several recent acquisitions, shares are shaping up nicely to continue their run.

    Blog text (9)

  • Hernandez, a former astronaut, is challenging Republican incumbent Jeff Denham in what is shaping up to be another money-filled race.

    Blog text (22)

Synonyms

to get on
vsto shape up
  • UK
418 3.2

Make progress with a project

is the same in meaning and use
to advance
vsto shape up
382 3.4

To help something move forward or become better

is neutral positive development without implying active help
to progress
vsto shape up
205 2.5

Move forward or get better over time

is about positive or satisfactory development rather than only gradual change
to get along
vsto shape up
58 2.1

Manage or do well in a situation

is about positive development rather than only coping
to come along
vsto shape up
53 2.9

To get better or improve over time

is more general positive development rather than stronger improvement
to take shape
vsto shape up
46 3.7

To start to form and become clear, for example an idea or plan

is broader covering whole positive development not only the start
to come on
vsto shape up
24 3.2

Start to get better

is used when development is also satisfactory or acceptable

Antonyms

decline
357 3.9

A gradual loss in amount, quality, or value

to worsen
65 3.9

To make a situation or condition less good

How Positive

to thrive
233 3.2
to shape up
48 3.2
to improve
∞ 1.0
to stabilize
  • US
44 4.3
to stall
218 4.3
to fail
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

shape up infinitive
shaped up past
shaped up past participle
shaping up present participle
shapes up third person singular

Morphology

shape + up

The combination of 'shape' (condition, fitness) and 'up' (indicating increase or improvement) gives a fairly clear sense of improving physical condition, so a B1 learner who knows the parts could infer the physical meaning. However, the extension to improving behavior or performance is more metaphorical and the particle 'up' in phrasal verbs can signal various nuances, so the exact range of meanings is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Shape up comes from the image of something slowly taking shape and moving up, like a rough idea or clay model becoming clear and better formed. So, when a plan or project shapes up, it means 'to develop in a positive way'.