"shapeshift" meaning in English

See shapeshift in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: shapeshifts [present, singular, third-person], shapeshifting [participle, present], shapeshifted [participle, past], shapeshifted [past]
Etymology: Probably a back-formation from shapeshifter. Etymology templates: {{back-form|en|shapeshifter|nocap=1}} back-formation from shapeshifter Head templates: {{en-verb}} shapeshift (third-person singular simple present shapeshifts, present participle shapeshifting, simple past and past participle shapeshifted)
  1. (biology, fantasy, mythology, intransitive) To change one's shape or form (into another) through often magical means, normally applied only to living beings. Tags: intransitive Categories (topical): Biology, Fantasy, Mythology, Fictional abilities, Shapeshifters Translations (change shape): 变身 (biànshēn) (Chinese Mandarin), 變身 (Chinese Mandarin), transfigureren (Dutch), metamorfoseren (Dutch), gedaante wisselen (Dutch), muuttaa muotoa (Finnish), sich verwandeln (German), seine Form ändern (German)
    Sense id: en-shapeshift-en-verb-k9b4BQfT Disambiguation of Fictional abilities: 73 27 Disambiguation of Shapeshifters: 71 29 Categories (other): English back-formations, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Mandarin translations Disambiguation of English back-formations: 51 49 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 54 46 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 50 50 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 47 53 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 49 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 49 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 51 49 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 59 41 Topics: biology, fantasy, human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, natural-sciences, philosophy, sciences Disambiguation of 'change shape': 88 12
  2. (figuratively, intransitive) To undergo a noticeable change (in character for example), to metamorphosize. Tags: figuratively, intransitive
    Sense id: en-shapeshift-en-verb-26htVapW Categories (other): English back-formations, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations Disambiguation of English back-formations: 51 49 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 54 46 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 50 50 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 47 53 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 49 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 49 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 51 49 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 47 53

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "shapeshifter",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "back-formation from shapeshifter",
      "name": "back-form"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably a back-formation from shapeshifter.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "shapeshifts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shapeshifting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shapeshifted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shapeshifted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "shapeshift (third-person singular simple present shapeshifts, present participle shapeshifting, simple past and past participle shapeshifted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Biology",
          "orig": "en:Biology",
          "parents": [
            "Sciences",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fantasy",
          "orig": "en:Fantasy",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Genres",
            "Art",
            "Entertainment",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Mythology",
          "orig": "en:Mythology",
          "parents": [
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
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          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "73 27",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fictional abilities",
          "orig": "en:Fictional abilities",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Genres",
            "Art",
            "Entertainment",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "71 29",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Shapeshifters",
          "orig": "en:Shapeshifters",
          "parents": [
            "Characters from folklore",
            "Mythological creatures",
            "Fictional characters",
            "Folklore",
            "Fantasy",
            "Mythology",
            "Fiction",
            "Culture",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Society",
            "Genres",
            "Art",
            "All topics",
            "Entertainment",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010, Mike Williams, Follow the Shaman's Call: An Ancient Path for Modern Lives, page 91:",
          "text": "Journey in exactly the same way as you did to shapeshift into your power animal except, this time, set your intention to shapeshift into a named ancestor.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019, Emily Rayven, Gateway To Brienka:",
          "text": "I can't shapeshift Zane, I only look like this I always have.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 57:",
          "text": "But to embed oneself in an irregular and unpredictable food supply as mycelium does, one must be able to shapeshift.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To change one's shape or form (into another) through often magical means, normally applied only to living beings."
      ],
      "id": "en-shapeshift-en-verb-k9b4BQfT",
      "links": [
        [
          "biology",
          "biology"
        ],
        [
          "fantasy",
          "fantasy"
        ],
        [
          "mythology",
          "mythology"
        ],
        [
          "shape",
          "shape"
        ],
        [
          "form",
          "form"
        ],
        [
          "magical",
          "magical"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology, fantasy, mythology, intransitive) To change one's shape or form (into another) through often magical means, normally applied only to living beings."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "fantasy",
        "human-sciences",
        "mysticism",
        "mythology",
        "natural-sciences",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "biànshēn",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "变身"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "變身"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "transfigureren"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "metamorfoseren"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "gedaante wisselen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "muuttaa muotoa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "sich verwandeln"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "change shape",
          "word": "seine Form ändern"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English back-formations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2019, Adam Turner-Heffer, Chelsea Wolfe: Birth of Violence review, The Skinny, September 2019, page 57",
          "text": "While Chelsea Wolfe has often shapeshifted in terms of how she presents her music, one thing remains constant: her big mood."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To undergo a noticeable change (in character for example), to metamorphosize."
      ],
      "id": "en-shapeshift-en-verb-26htVapW",
      "links": [
        [
          "undergo",
          "undergo"
        ],
        [
          "change",
          "change"
        ],
        [
          "metamorphosize",
          "metamorphosize"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively, intransitive) To undergo a noticeable change (in character for example), to metamorphosize."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "shapeshift"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English back-formations",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "en:Fictional abilities",
    "en:Shapeshifters"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "shapeshifter",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "back-formation from shapeshifter",
      "name": "back-form"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably a back-formation from shapeshifter.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "shapeshifts",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shapeshifting",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shapeshifted",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shapeshifted",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "shapeshift (third-person singular simple present shapeshifts, present participle shapeshifting, simple past and past participle shapeshifted)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Biology",
        "en:Fantasy",
        "en:Mythology"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2010, Mike Williams, Follow the Shaman's Call: An Ancient Path for Modern Lives, page 91:",
          "text": "Journey in exactly the same way as you did to shapeshift into your power animal except, this time, set your intention to shapeshift into a named ancestor.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019, Emily Rayven, Gateway To Brienka:",
          "text": "I can't shapeshift Zane, I only look like this I always have.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 57:",
          "text": "But to embed oneself in an irregular and unpredictable food supply as mycelium does, one must be able to shapeshift.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To change one's shape or form (into another) through often magical means, normally applied only to living beings."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "biology",
          "biology"
        ],
        [
          "fantasy",
          "fantasy"
        ],
        [
          "mythology",
          "mythology"
        ],
        [
          "shape",
          "shape"
        ],
        [
          "form",
          "form"
        ],
        [
          "magical",
          "magical"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology, fantasy, mythology, intransitive) To change one's shape or form (into another) through often magical means, normally applied only to living beings."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "fantasy",
        "human-sciences",
        "mysticism",
        "mythology",
        "natural-sciences",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2019, Adam Turner-Heffer, Chelsea Wolfe: Birth of Violence review, The Skinny, September 2019, page 57",
          "text": "While Chelsea Wolfe has often shapeshifted in terms of how she presents her music, one thing remains constant: her big mood."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To undergo a noticeable change (in character for example), to metamorphosize."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "undergo",
          "undergo"
        ],
        [
          "change",
          "change"
        ],
        [
          "metamorphosize",
          "metamorphosize"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively, intransitive) To undergo a noticeable change (in character for example), to metamorphosize."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "biànshēn",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "变身"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "變身"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "biànshēn",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "变身"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "transfigureren"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "metamorfoseren"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "gedaante wisselen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "muuttaa muotoa"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "sich verwandeln"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "change shape",
      "word": "seine Form ändern"
    }
  ],
  "word": "shapeshift"
}

Download raw JSONL data for shapeshift meaning in English (4.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). 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.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.