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shape up

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shape-up

  [sheyp-uhp]
Use shape up in a Sentence
–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.
Also, shapeup.

Origin:
1940–45; n. use of v. phrase shape up
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shape

  [sheyp] noun, verb, shaped, shap⋅ing.
–noun
1. the quality of a distinct object or body in having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure.
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.
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.
8. condition or state of repair: The old house was in bad shape. He was sick last year, but is in good shape now.
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, esp. 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.
–verb (used with object)
14. to give definite form, shape, organization, or character to; fashion or form.
15. to couch or express in words: to shape a statement.
16. to adjust; adapt: He shaped everything to suit his taste.
17. to direct (one's course, future, etc.).
18. to file the teeth of (a saw) to uniform width after jointing.
19. 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.
20. Obsolete. to appoint; decree.
–verb (used without object)
21. to come to a desired conclusion or take place in a specified way: If discussions shape properly, the companies will merge.
—Verb phrase
22. shape up,
a. to assume a specific form: The plan is beginning to shape up.
b. to evolve or develop, esp. favorably.
c. to improve one's behavior or performance to meet a required standard.
d. to get oneself into good physical condition.
e. (of longshoremen) to get into a line or formation in order to be assigned the day's work.
—Idiom
23. take shape, to assume a fixed form; become definite: The house is beginning to take shape.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE gesceapu (pl.); r. dial. shap, ME; OE gesceap (sing.); c. ON skap state, mood; (v.) ME; OE sceapen (ptp.); r. ME sheppe, shippe, OE sceppan, scyppan; c. G schaffen, ON skepja, Goth -skapjan to make

Related forms:
shap⋅a⋅ble, shape⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. silhouette, appearance. See form. 4. specter, illusion. 7. order, pattern. 8. order, situation. 14. mold, model.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shape up
shape   (shāp)   
n.  

    1. The characteristic surface configuration of a thing; an outline or contour. See Synonyms at form.

    2. Something distinguished from its surroundings by its outline.

    3. A definite distinctive form: "The bomb gave the shape of life, outer and inner, an irreversible charge; a sense of fatefulness would now lie on all things" (Alfred Kazin).

    4. A desirable form: a fabric that holds its shape.

  2. The contour of a person's body; the figure.

    1. A definite distinctive form: "The bomb gave the shape of life, outer and inner, an irreversible charge; a sense of fatefulness would now lie on all things" (Alfred Kazin).

    2. A desirable form: a fabric that holds its shape.

  4. A form or condition in which something may exist or appear; embodiment: a god in the shape of a swan.

  5. Assumed or false appearance; guise.

  6. A ghostly form; a phantom.

  7. Something, such as a mold or pattern, used to give or determine form.

  8. The proper condition of something necessary for action, effectiveness, or use: an athlete in excellent shape.

v.   shaped, shap·ing, shapes

v.   tr.

  1. To give a particular form to; create.

  2. To cause to conform to a particular form or pattern; adapt to fit.

    1. To plan to bring about the realization or accomplishment of; devise.

    2. To embody in a definite form: shaped a folk legend into a full-scale opera.

    3. To adapt to a particular use or purpose; adjust.

    4. To direct the course of: "He shaped history as well as being shaped by it" (Robert J. Samuelson).

    1. To adapt to a particular use or purpose; adjust.

    2. To direct the course of: "He shaped history as well as being shaped by it" (Robert J. Samuelson).

v.   intr.

  1. To come to pass; happen.

  2. To take on a definite shape or form. Often used with up or into.

Phrasal Verb(s):
shape up

  1. Informal To turn out; develop.

  2. To improve so as to meet a standard: Either shape up or ship out.


[Middle English, from Old English gesceap, a creation.]
shap'a·ble, shape'a·ble adj., shaped adj., shap'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: shape
Pronunciation: 'shAp
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: shaped; shap·ing
: to modify (behavior) byrewarding changes that tend toward a desired response
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

shape up

  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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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