"shape up" meaning in English

See shape up in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-shape up.ogg [Australia] Forms: shapes up [present, singular, third-person], shaping up [participle, present], shaped up [participle, past], shaped up [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} shape up (third-person singular simple present shapes up, present participle shaping up, simple past and past participle shaped up)
  1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To improve; to correct one's bad habits or behavior. Tags: idiomatic, intransitive Synonyms (correct one's bad habits or behavior): improve, pull one's finger out, pull one's socks up Translations (to improve; correct one's bad habits): besser werden (German), sich bessern (German), verbessern [reflexive] (German), migliorarsi (Italian), подтяну́ться (podtjanútʹsja) [neuter, perfective] (Russian), rycka upp sig (Swedish), komma i form (Swedish), biçimlenmek (Turkish), gelişmek (Turkish), iyi gitmek (english: affair) (Turkish), iyi yolda olmak [person] (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-shape_up-en-verb-Q29zkeoG Disambiguation of "correct one's bad habits or behavior": 96 4 Disambiguation of "to improve; correct one's bad habits": 96 4
  2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To take shape; to transform into or become. Tags: idiomatic, intransitive Synonyms (transform into): become, turn into, turn out to be Derived forms: shape up or ship out Related terms: in shape Translations (transform into): de vorm aannemen (Dutch), sich entwickeln (dahingehend) (German), in die Richtung gehen (German), sich gestalten (dahingehend) (German), trasformarsi (Italian), forma sig (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-shape_up-en-verb-dcqo9NVK Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs with particle (up) Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 25 75 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs with particle (up): 27 73 Disambiguation of 'transform into': 1 99 Disambiguation of 'transform into': 1 99

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for shape up meaning in English (5.8kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "shapes up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shaping up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shaped up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shaped up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "shape up (third-person singular simple present shapes up, present participle shaping up, simple past and past participle shaped up)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He'd better shape up soon, or he'll fail the class.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1978, John Farrar (lyrics and music), “You're the One That I Want”, performed by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta",
          "text": "You better shape up\n'Cause I need a man\nAnd my heart is set on you",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To improve; to correct one's bad habits or behavior."
      ],
      "id": "en-shape_up-en-verb-Q29zkeoG",
      "links": [
        [
          "improve",
          "improve"
        ],
        [
          "correct",
          "correct"
        ],
        [
          "habit",
          "habit"
        ],
        [
          "behavior",
          "behavior"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To improve; to correct one's bad habits or behavior."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "sense": "correct one's bad habits or behavior",
          "word": "improve"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "sense": "correct one's bad habits or behavior",
          "word": "pull one's finger out"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "sense": "correct one's bad habits or behavior",
          "word": "pull one's socks up"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "besser werden"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "sich bessern"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "tags": [
            "reflexive"
          ],
          "word": "verbessern"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "migliorarsi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "podtjanútʹsja",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "tags": [
            "neuter",
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "подтяну́ться"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "rycka upp sig"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "komma i form"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "biçimlenmek"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "gelişmek"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "english": "affair",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "word": "iyi gitmek"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
          "tags": [
            "person"
          ],
          "word": "iyi yolda olmak"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "25 75",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (up)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "5 95",
          "word": "shape up or ship out"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The fog has vanished and it's shaping up to be a beautiful day.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1983, 02:04:00 from the start, in The Right Stuff",
          "text": "Pretty good. A full refrigerator! I can see this afternoon is shaping up just great.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 July 30, Ali Barthwell, “Ice and fire finally meet in a front-loaded episode of Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club",
          "text": "Even though this episode felt packed to the brim and sometimes unwieldly, the strongest moments were spent with Cersei, Sansa, and Daenerys: three daughters who were never supposed to rule, wading through their pain and suffering to shape The Seven Kingdoms. A lot has been said and written about the sons in this story who were never meant to rule (Tyrion, Jon, even Sam) but this season is shaping up to be an examination of these women.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take shape; to transform into or become."
      ],
      "id": "en-shape_up-en-verb-dcqo9NVK",
      "links": [
        [
          "take shape",
          "take shape"
        ],
        [
          "transform",
          "transform"
        ],
        [
          "become",
          "become"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To take shape; to transform into or become."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "5 95",
          "word": "in shape"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "become"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "turn into"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "turn out to be"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "de vorm aannemen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "sich entwickeln (dahingehend)"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "in die Richtung gehen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "sich gestalten (dahingehend)"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "trasformarsi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 99",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "transform into",
          "word": "forma sig"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-shape up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/02/En-au-shape_up.ogg/En-au-shape_up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/En-au-shape_up.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "shape up"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs with particle (up)",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "shape up or ship out"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "shapes up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shaping up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shaped up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shaped up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "shape up (third-person singular simple present shapes up, present participle shaping up, simple past and past participle shaped up)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "in shape"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He'd better shape up soon, or he'll fail the class.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1978, John Farrar (lyrics and music), “You're the One That I Want”, performed by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta",
          "text": "You better shape up\n'Cause I need a man\nAnd my heart is set on you",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To improve; to correct one's bad habits or behavior."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "improve",
          "improve"
        ],
        [
          "correct",
          "correct"
        ],
        [
          "habit",
          "habit"
        ],
        [
          "behavior",
          "behavior"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To improve; to correct one's bad habits or behavior."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The fog has vanished and it's shaping up to be a beautiful day.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1983, 02:04:00 from the start, in The Right Stuff",
          "text": "Pretty good. A full refrigerator! I can see this afternoon is shaping up just great.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 July 30, Ali Barthwell, “Ice and fire finally meet in a front-loaded episode of Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club",
          "text": "Even though this episode felt packed to the brim and sometimes unwieldly, the strongest moments were spent with Cersei, Sansa, and Daenerys: three daughters who were never supposed to rule, wading through their pain and suffering to shape The Seven Kingdoms. A lot has been said and written about the sons in this story who were never meant to rule (Tyrion, Jon, even Sam) but this season is shaping up to be an examination of these women.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take shape; to transform into or become."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "take shape",
          "take shape"
        ],
        [
          "transform",
          "transform"
        ],
        [
          "become",
          "become"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To take shape; to transform into or become."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-shape up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/02/En-au-shape_up.ogg/En-au-shape_up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/En-au-shape_up.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "correct one's bad habits or behavior",
      "word": "improve"
    },
    {
      "sense": "correct one's bad habits or behavior",
      "word": "pull one's finger out"
    },
    {
      "sense": "correct one's bad habits or behavior",
      "word": "pull one's socks up"
    },
    {
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "become"
    },
    {
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "turn into"
    },
    {
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "turn out to be"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "besser werden"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "sich bessern"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "tags": [
        "reflexive"
      ],
      "word": "verbessern"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "migliorarsi"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "podtjanútʹsja",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "tags": [
        "neuter",
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "подтяну́ться"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "rycka upp sig"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "komma i form"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "biçimlenmek"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "gelişmek"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "english": "affair",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "word": "iyi gitmek"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "to improve; correct one's bad habits",
      "tags": [
        "person"
      ],
      "word": "iyi yolda olmak"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "de vorm aannemen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "sich entwickeln (dahingehend)"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "in die Richtung gehen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "sich gestalten (dahingehend)"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "trasformarsi"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "transform into",
      "word": "forma sig"
    }
  ],
  "word": "shape up"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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