SHAPING UP Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

shaping (up) 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of shape (up)

as in forming

to take on a definite form this group of summer interns is shaping up to be one of the best we've ever hired

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shaping up

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of shape up

as in straightening (up or out)

to change one's behavior or character for the better told his son that if he didn't shape up, he'd be grounded for a month

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shaping (up)

Verb

The past summer in Russia has also been shaping up as a bleak season for Putin’s Russia. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026 Now, Ring of Honor looks toward the fall in what’s shaping up to be a solid end of the year for some of its key wrestlers. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Across the Nordic region, 2026 is shaping up to be an important year for international rail. — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 So, how is Alexander-Arnold’s second season in the Spanish capital shaping up? — Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 With classes starting Thursday, the District U-46 School Board was given an optimistic report Monday on ongoing construction and how things are shaping up for the new school year. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 As this chart from Nancy Vanden Houten at Oxford Economics shows, the 2026 fiscal year was shaping up to have smaller deficits than 2025, until very recently. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 Fall 2026 is shaping up to be a major season for statement footwear, but one of the most polished trends, the high-vamp pump, is surprisingly understated. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026 Halloween 2026 is already shaping up to be a big year for coordinated costumes, with families getting creative about dressing up together. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaping (up)

Verb

Thanks to well above average ocean temperatures due to the Super El Niño, tropical storms and hurricanes south of California are forming at breakneck speed.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Simply use a cleansing balm or micellar water makeup remover that dissolves the pigments and film-forming agents that make the eyeshadow waterproof and long-lasting.

— Laura Sandroni, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of forming

Verb

Pawloski said Amazon seemed to invest fewer resources into improving MTurk at the same time as more data labeling services arrived, causing many turkers to shift to competing platforms.

— Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
The broader shift is that AI content quality is improving while the barrier to creation is becoming lower.

— Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of improving

Verb

The complex legislation — added by gutting and amending a bill known as Senate Bill 492 — was introduced less than three days before the legislative session was to end Monday.

— Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
For a better harvest, Glassey recommends amending the soil before planting fig trees in rocky terrain.

— Rachel Gillett, Martha Stewart, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of amending

Verb

Anybody can be charming to a powerful boss, an attractive stranger, or a potentially useful client; character is more diagnostic when there is little reputational or instrumental benefit to behaving well.

— Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
SwRI’s new toy for sCO₂ testing Their job is to control where and how quickly CO₂ enters the rock formation, prevent unwanted fluids moving around the well, and generally keep the reservoir behaving as intended.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of behaving

Verb

For organizers who gathered, the demand goes beyond reforming how the technology is used.

— Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
In parallel, the United Kingdom is also seeking to accelerate its own regulatory processes by reforming its framework for rare disease therapies.

— Kimberley Jane Barnes, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of reforming

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shaping (up)

shaping up

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“Shaping (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaping%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shaping (up)

verb (1)

verb (2)

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