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单词 shape
释义

shape1

noun ʃeɪpʃeɪp

  • 1The external form, contours, or outline of someone or something.

    特定的条件（或状况）

    she liked the shape of his nose

    她喜欢他鼻子的形状。

    houseplants come in all shapes and sizes

    室内植物有各种形状和大小。

    mass noun the stones are irregular in shape
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Layered shapes, outlined in black, burgundy or pink, imitate the forms of architecture and industrial design.
    • Once you have outlined the shape of the rose bed, it's time to improve the soil - before planting the roses.
    • The normal, healthy shape of the spine is a very gentle S-curve.
    • This will create a clean lined look that will contour your body shape.
    • Suppose that one of Vermeer's main uses for the camera obscura was to obtain precise outlines for the various shapes in a composition.
    • Use a black marker to outline the shape and to write scientific or mathematical equations on the bag.
    • Outline the desired shape of your pond with a garden hose or a rope.
    • Safes designed for home use come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs, and there's sure to be one out there that's perfect for your needs.
    • His dark blond hair was cut very short and outlined the shape of his head neatly.
    • Suddenly, he noticed a translucent, dark purple flame floating two or three inches away from his sister's skin, outlining the shape of her body.
    • Try using a garden hose, or sprinkle limestone, to outline the shape of a new bed.
    • They cut out the portion where the sod would grow and outlined the shape with bender-board.
    • Disturbing images of police tape outlining the shape of Evangeline's lifeless body flashed before his eyes.
    • Families come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and configurations.
    • For this he reconstructed a Neolithic forest whose outline forms the shape of an endangered falcon.
    • The shapes, crisp outlines and clear, near-obsessive glyphs are quite exquisite.
    • My finger traces along the seven stars, outlining the shape of a ladle.
    • The pattern is programmed to stitch an outline around the shape to hold it in place while the edge is stitched.
    • Morgan hypothesizes that the mound shape was first outlined by a line of posts set in a wall trench, which served as a retaining wall for the fill.
    • They started putting masking tape on the floor to outline the shapes of machines.
    Synonyms
    form, appearance, configuration, formation, structure
    figure, build, physique, body
    contours, lines, outline, silhouette, profile
    design, format
    cut, pattern, mould
    1. 1.1 A person or thing that is difficult to see and identify clearly.
      模糊的人影（或物影）
      he saw a shape through the mist

      透过薄雾，他看见一个模糊的人影。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • All she could see was a light purple mist that clouded anything beyond into indiscernible shapes.
      • The mist became separate shapes, moving shapes, coloured shapes.
      • The field was denser than the War Six field, but the obstacles were more visible and their shapes were easier to identify.
      • Eldon looked at the radar screen and saw three shapes identified as Coalition frigates.
      • They looked up and saw a huge shape outlined by sunlight; it came over.
      • He was hunting for greens when he became aware of the dark shape outlined against the shifting, luminous background.
      • Holding out in front of her, trying to keep it steady, she pointed it at several of the moving shapes but couldn't identify any of them.
      • As he neared the hill the shapes took outlines of men instead of the formless gray lumps they'd appeared as.
      • The ground seemed lumpy and careful observations revealed the outline of a massive shape.
      • Jim was desperately trying to make sense of the golden blur before him, trying to force the formless shapes to solidify, to identify themselves.
      • Their shape could not be clearly defined as their outline seemed blurred in a haze of grey smoke surrounding them, but they seemed human shaped.
      • Through the dark mist, I could make out the faint shape of a large cat.
      • Slowly the world started to leak in to her mind, her eyes started to identify shapes; she could see the centurions crowded around her whispering.
      • Throughout the painting are less clearly defined shapes and stabs of the loaded brush.
      • In the absence of the lamps, Tesha was unable to identify the shape until it righted itself and stood straight.
      • Ada peered through the frosted glass of the front entrance, but was not able to identify anything other than some fuzzy grey shapes moving around the front yard.
      • I am not in the habit of following strange shapes in the mist about eerie woods.
      • At the edge of the woods, a few birds had started to call out and flutter between the trees, vague shapes moving through the mist beyond the half-open bathroom window.
      • Peering though the roiling mist, Andrew could see back-lit shapes moving within.
      • Their shapes were not clearly distinguishable, as they were covered by some kind of insubstantial black flame.
    2. 1.2 A specific form or guise assumed by someone or something.
      伪装；假装
      a fiend in human shape

      伪装成人的魔鬼。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He eventually destroys Paradise by assuming the shape of a serpent and tricking Eve into eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge.
      • Dr. Bob works in cypress, training trees over many years to grow in specific shapes.
      • She'd regained her human shape when she lost consciousness.
      • From this intriguing postulation onward, the film slowly and hesitantly assumes the shape of a thriller.
      • Collectively titled ‘Airships,’ all of the sculptures assume the general shape of a dirigible.
      • Phil (played by Stefaniuk) is the alien who lands in the woods of Canada and morphs himself into a human shape, full lumberjack gear and all.
      • Raven merely hopped down from Callan's shoulder and changed back into his human shape, hauling a hood over his straggling hair, which was soaked through.
      • As water froths into to foam and spray in small rapids, so I shifted into my feline shape and ghosted toward and, with some difficulty, through a window.
      • She claimed that she was under attack by invisible tormentors who pinched her, pricked her with pins, and spoke of women who assumed the shape of cats.
      • For Brian was only going halfway towards bat form, then lingering in a strange, supernatural limbo before condensing back into his human shape instead of making the change over.
      • The cloud assumes a human shape, and begins to solidify.
      • He is always accompanied by a toad and he can assume the shape of a toad.
      • Sara is a metamorph, able to assume a winged shape.
      • Kevin was in his wolf shape but changed to human when he saw her.
      • Animals were visitors from the other world temporarily assuming animal shapes.
      • Each pair took position before a carrier as the mighty ships themselves assumed a wedge shape.
      • Clouds excite him partly because they perpetually assume new shapes.
      • In these stories, beasts frighten or trick their enemies, sometimes by taking on the shapes of human beings.
      • Were they a more human form of a being that could assume the shape of any creature on Earth?
      • In the first three decades of the twentieth century the discipline of economics assumed its present shape.
      Synonyms
      guise, likeness, semblance, form, appearance, image, aspect

  • 2A geometric figure such as a square, triangle, or rectangle.

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Characteristically he used patterns of interlinked shapes - strongly outlined but avoiding geometrical regularity.
    • In others, repeated square shapes mutate into stretched diamonds, triangles and irregular ovals.
    • By the 1760s they had acquired lids and the oval gave way to square, octagonal, and hexagonal shapes as the century progressed.
    • Some conical houses bear patterning composed principally of chevrons, others of triangular shapes.
    • They angled the party wall to form trapezoidal shapes and adapted the motion to create lively and clearly defined spaces in the units.
    • On this magnificent necklace, worn by either a young woman or man, the beadworker has skillfully played with colors and geometric shapes.
    • Shape stencil: select unusual shapes like circles and stars - squares and rectangles are easily produced using a ruler.
    • Bold, geometric shapes, abstracts, squares and sharp angles are all appropriate.
    • What you have then is a geometric shape with only one side, and only one edge.
    • Some were organic shapes with lines, and others were geometric shapes surrounded by circles.
    • He observed that ideas of shapes or figures, like the triangle, were ideas of things he had not invented or conjured up.
    • Some characters looked like geometric shapes, such as triangles.
    • If, however, one starts from the taro itself rather than from the geometric shape, the picture becomes more complicated.
    • Stripes, geometric shapes and patterns add whimsy to ordinary rocking chairs.
    • Just to the right of the slits are a group of square shapes.
    • Try starting simple, with maybe just a geometric shape, such as a triangle or circle.
    • When they sit down for dinner, all the food is cut into specific geometric shapes and mathematical figures.
    • Because Islam forbids the portrayal of people and animals, most Arab designs feature plants, leaves, or geometric shapes.
    • Grouping wall decor in geometric shapes such as rectangles, triangles or circles adds interest.
    • It is rare to see objects against a background of a square, a triangle, and oval shapes.
    1. 2.1 A piece of material, paper, etc., made or cut in a particular form.
      特定形状的东西；模型
      stick paper shapes on for the puppet's eyes and nose

      给木偶粘上纸剪的眼睛和鼻子。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Cut a bunny shape from white paper in a size that will fit over the pop-up piece; fold in half.
      • Then separate shapes are made by actually cutting the mesh into shapes and casting the paper straight into shapes on the J cloth.
      • Cut simple holiday shapes out of paper or felt, then hang with thread from curtain rods, hanging lamps, doorways or over the outside of a lampshade.
      • Gris too made extensive use of papier collé, and Matisse's use of cut-out paper shapes in his late work is a development of the technique.
      • For each shape, glue two papers together to hide the plain side.

  • 3mass noun The correct or original form or contours of something.

    her skirt had lost its shape long ago
    the lid had been battered out of shape
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Bend the mesh into shape and arrange it over transplants such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
    • I stepped into a pair of slippers that were supposed to look like wolves, but had sort of lost any shape about a year ago.
    • Cheap brushes are a huge headache mainly because they shed hair and lose their shape quicker than quality brushes.
    • The disadvantages of the technique are that, while some characteristics are quite stable, others, such as leaf shape, can vary markedly even on one vine.
    • As one, they bowed low to her as her form lost shape and soon disappeared altogether.
    1. 3.1 Definite or orderly arrangement.
      有序的排列；条理清楚
      check that your structure will give shape to your essay

      检查一下你的结构是否能使文章条理清楚。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Yet individuals do not have to be rich or famous for their passions to give shape to a community.
      • These provide clues of what to expect and give shape to the analysis of the subscription lists.
      • Marx strove, better than most, to give shape to the astonishing development he saw around him.
      • Fredrickson plays his instrument as a cello, with the ability to give shape to music in which shape isn't always easy to discern.
      • The views they articulated sought to give shape to the burgeoning social consciousness in France and apply it to the army.
      • It has thus fallen to federal courts to give shape to the statute.
      • It is in our interest to participate fully in the ongoing conversations and debates that give shape to art history as a discipline and keep it interesting.
      • The asymmetrical triangles of water and dune give shape to the engulfing sand and sky.
      • The okomfo, however, will throw out clues to onlookers so as to differentiate and give shape to each obosom.
      • Your mind will give shape to the things you need to fight.
      • The Protoacademy takes a more definite shape periodically through a series of events in different cities throughout Europe, including this one in Cork.
      • These songs give shape to the shadows that darken our doors.
      • Paterson's love commands that we look deep into the objects that give shape to things: shadow, mirror, glass.
      • The broader political themes developed in Nineteen Seventy Four that live on in and give shape to Peace's subsequent novels are more particular to him.
      • One would presume these traditions are at least a few centuries old before they take definite shape in Early Modern accounts.
      • These give shape to the impressions of other travel writers on India such as William Dalrymple, from whom Johnson takes his first cues.
      • China had not developed to the stage when strong and competing social interests would give shape to politics.
      • And Guggisberg insists that all national history must contain an element of exceptionalism to give shape to national identity.
      • Explanations are not this film's concern - it strives instead to give shape to our incomprehension.
      • Choral movements give shape to the nation, but not merely as a matter of representing the nation.

  • 4mass noun, with adjective The specified condition or state of someone or something.

    伪装；假装

    he was in no shape to drive

    他状态不好，开不了车。

    the company came through a difficult period in excellent financial shape
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Another advantage though was that it brought her into perfect physical shape, which boosted her self-confidence.
    • By dawn he was in bad shape - paralyzed from his injuries.
    • I urge you to get your financial house in good shape.
    • Data-mining projects are generally a good bet for companies in poor financial shape, looking to technology for quick payback, he says.
    • He was not in good physical shape and tended to be rather the worse for wear after lunch.
    • Were we in better financial shape when he left than when we started?
    • The island's defences were in poor shape to meet such a danger.
    • The Great Depression of this century will probably hit much harder that that of the 1930s since our country is in so much poorer financial shape.
    • The doctors also emphasized that my physical shape and cardiovascular conditioning were paramount in my survival as well as my rapid recovery.
    • Years of horseback riding and ice-skating have kept him in good physical shape - and he remains active.
    • Renny was still in sore shape from the gunshot wounds and broken ribs, but he was now out of danger.
    • Sociology is supposed to show that physics is just a social construction, as if the social ‘sciences’ were in better shape than physics.
    • See, I was never very athletic before that, so I thought it would be awesome to do something like that, and get back into that physical shape.
    • I'll take an older print with character any day over needlessly edge-enhanced modern prints, but the fact is that this print is in poor shape.
    • The claycrete blocks of the building's exterior were weather worn and crumbling in places, and the solar panels atop the roof were in poor shape.
    • He worried about keeping in good physical shape for appearance as well as health reasons.
    • With those kinds of income gains, consumers will be in excellent shape to face the financial challenges that 2005 will bring.
    • Speaking of health, in what kind of shape is public health care?
    • He was in very good physical shape, for he'd often spent time in any gym he could manage to visit, whenever he wasn't flying and could find the time.
    • Carter has a client that is looking to buy a club that is in bad shape physically and financially.
    Synonyms
    condition, state, health, state of health, trim, fettle, order, repair
    1. 4.1 Good physical condition.
      健康状况良好
      she has to work hard to keep in shape
      I trained with the featherweight champion of Europe to get in shape
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He kept in tremendous shape and ate healthier than the diet-crazed Americans he read about.
      • I don't know if he's naturally that able-bodied or if he uses a health-restorative spell, but he is in excellent shape for his years.
      • He had worked hard to get in shape, and he was in really good shape, and he just had some episodes that things weren't quite right.
      • As a result, she got herself into shape physically, becoming a kind of Mediterranean Marilyn Monroe.
      • The last time he had been here he had had his physical done to see if he was in good enough shape to even take the military training unit test.
      • She did a full physical and decided that I was in tip top shape, but I needed to build my wing muscles now if I planned on flying with them later.
      • Reality 2: You don't have to be in perfect shape to make a fitness video.
      • That's been a goal of mine for a long time, and I've never felt healthier or in better shape.
      Synonyms
      condition, state, health, state of health, trim, fettle, order, repair
      British informal nick
    2. 4.2 The distinctive nature or qualities of something.
      特色；特征
      debates about the future shape of British society

      关于英国社会将来会是什么样子的争论。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Orwell's theoretical concerns about the likely shape of the future could be considered a form of political satire.
      • The shape of this paper can be summarised as follows.
      • A fulfilled national dream, the railway changed the lives of every man, woman and child in Canada and altered the future and shape of the nation.
      • Our new understanding will lead us to new tools, which will ‘change the nature and shape of firms.’
      • The shape of future health-care legislation is yet to be seen.
verb ʃeɪpʃeɪp
[with object]

  • 1Give a particular shape or form to.

    使成形，塑造

    most caves are shaped by the flow of water through limestone

    大部分洞穴是水流经石灰岩形成的。

    shape the dough into two-inch balls

    把面团揉成一个个两英寸的圆球。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • This is the same type of volcanic rock shaped by sculptors in the Stone Symposium held on New Plymouth's foreshore each summer.
    • Each flavor contains one of Denali's proprietary inclusions such as the Bear Foot Cookie Dough, which is shaped like a bear's foot.
    • There are signposted vantage points on the way which give splendid views showing how the Ice Ages carved and shaped the landscape.
    • When the dough has been shaped into a pyramid, a thick meat and potato stew is poured round it and decorated with whole hard-boiled eggs.
    • Samsung, one of Asia's leaders in design, shaped its Compact Mobile Phone concept like a woman's compact.
    • The Ankh cross is designed to be shaped like a ‘T’ with the circular symbol of the sun resting on top of it.
    • It was shaped like a block, and looked so sloppily put together, with no specific design to speak of.
    • The House of Prayer is shaped like a squarish oval.
    • To guide his hand as it shapes the Styrofoam, he projects composite image-and-text designs onto the panel.
    • Carefully trimming, shaving and shaping one's facial hair can achieve a never-ending multitude of looks, such as handlebar moustaches, goatees and designer sideburns.
    • Divide the dough into 15 pieces, shaping these into balls.
    • The earrings had been masterfully shaped into three ivy vines that wove around each other.
    • The exposed skull lying in the ‘dead red bracken’ has been shaped by nature.
    • The walls were scrubbed to perfection as well, and the glass-less window frames had been shaped by an expert hand.
    • They have stolen some of the disposables' design ideas, are shaped like pants rather than towels and have discovered Velcro.
    • Her slow glide along the coralline ridge reveals that she is slightly larger than a silver dollar, and nearly as thin, her smoothly arching dorsal fin shaping her more ovate than round.
    • I would really encourage you to spend the next couple of years shaping and defining the product or the service.
    • Casting is a process by which a liquid or molten material is shaped by pouring into a mould that contains the negative impression of a desired model.
    • Seated around a mass of black stone, a group of young Muslim men are shaping a Farohar - a winged angel from another time, and faith, than their own.
    • Cevapcici are made from ground meat and spices that are shaped into little cylinders, cooked on an open fire and served on an open platter.
    Synonyms
    form, fashion, make, create, mould, model, cast, frame, sculpt, sculpture, block
    carve, cut, hew, whittle
    1. 1.1 Form or produce (a sound or words)
      形成，产生（声音，词）
      her lips shaped barely audible words
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He cried, his mouth barely able to shape the words to her name, much less find the words that he needed to bring her away from the edge.
      • She shaped the words, unable to speak them with the knot of his noose twisting into her voicebox.
      • Nothing is left to chance, each sound shaped so that it blends into the next, however odd a pairing they would normally make.
      • The man opened his mouth shaping the words that would meet the master's ear.
      • He ad-libs and shapes the words through constant takes before the mic, getting every last line right.
      • River sighed, and lifted his hands to shape the words.
      • Her mouth moved, shaping the words she will say to him once her spell is lifted.
      • Lips shaping words that Althia didn't recognize, Morgana closed her eyes and retreated several steps so that her arms were stretched as far as possible while she continued to grasp Althia's arms.
      • The only way someone would be able to tell it wasn't a full-grown woman by her voice, was by the way she shaped her words.
      • Much of the new popular poetry is never written down; it exists only as sounds shaped in the air.
      • The assassin's eyes widened at hearing the way she shaped her words, then he studied her face intently.
      • Violet, however, was genuinely deep in thought, her lips shaping the words as she puzzled out the riddle.
      • His lips shape the words I love you, no longer giving them voice beyond a whisper, but she can feel his breath against her skin.
      • Whatever he found he brought to the slate of language, lovingly, deliberately shaping the words to describe what he had found.
      • Lips shaped silent words and their faces were upturned towards the stone woman.
      • The words were pressed from vocal cords unused to them, shaped by lips that were more inclined to some other form of speech.
    2. 1.2 Make (something) fit the form of something else.
      使适合；使符合
      with object and infinitive suits have been shaped to fit so snugly that no curve is undefined

      套服做得非常合身，没有哪条曲线不清晰。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Autumn, or Bacchus's Trickery of Erigone is one of a pair of oddly shaped canvases, perhaps meant to fit into rococo mouldings, which celebrate Spring and Autumn.
      • Blandin planes used a T - shaped cast iron lever to adjust the depth of cut by rising or lowering the leading edge of the cutter.
      • Every block was shaped to fit just so, leaving little more than a paper-thin gap in between.
      • The fitted and shaped waist styling really suits hour glass figures and can only be welcomed by women who are not stick thin and have voluptuous curves to show.
      • The locket itself was oval shaped and intricately carved with the image of a nightingale perched on a vine of Moonflower.
      • The tile will be safe for the example load if the trench bottom is shaped to fit the tile rather than left flat.
      • The early morning sun filtered through breaks in the canopy, casting strangely shaped shadows over the ground.
      • This spectacular hairstyle combines a sleek crown with a neatly tucked side swept front and a tightly sculpted fan shaped chignon.
      Synonyms
      form, fashion, make, create, mould, model, cast, frame, sculpt, sculpture, block
    3. 1.3 Determine the nature of; have a great influence on.
      决定…性质；对…有巨大影响
      his childhood was shaped by a loving relationship with his elder brother

      他与哥哥之间的挚爱情谊对他童年影响很大。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He never lets his characters off the hook, no matter how much their characters have been shaped and determined by their upbringing.
      • It was evident that this now feeble woman was once influential and helped shape her past.
      • Sadly, too many players have ignored the rich chess tapestry that has shaped and colored the rules, strategies and openings that we take for granted today.
      • There seems to be little doubt that these twin foci have been influential in shaping how supervisors think about supervision.
      • We of the Never-Never was extremely influential in shaping urban Australia's view of the outback - more than a million copies have been sold, it was adapted for schools, and a film version appeared in 1982.
      • As we shape the economy and the resultant income distribution we are also shaping the very nature of our democracy.
      • The history of the larger world is always shaping and influencing what his characters feel and do.
      • He also played a big role in shaping how America handles its money.
      • And thus it was that the career of a great Indian batsman was influenced and shaped by the example of a great Pakistani batsman.
      • Canadian Baptists, however, know we are not American, even though we have been shaped by the pervasive influence of American culture.
      • As the title suggests, this is a book shaped primarily by an interrogative stance.
      • Above and beyond contemporary political struggles, the migration of labor can play an interesting role in shaping the very nature of political institutions and the role they play.
      • As the leader of the majority party in the House, the Speaker also plays a major role in shaping and implementing party decisions on forthcoming legislation.
      • Frontiers have come in all shapes and historical moments, and childhood has always been shaped by a bramble of racial and ethnic diversity.
      • But as you know, no television program gets put on or shaped or determined by just one person, never.
      • Other beings have independent desires that are shaped and influenced by all manner of things from peer pressure to economics to physics to biology.
      • Just how much is predetermined by the forces of genes and how much is shaped by influences such as society and culture remain unclear - and hotly debated.
      • We can go further than that and suggest that an actor's roles may have the same kind of effect, that cultural identity and national myths may be shaped by influential performers.
      • In the context of the Cold War and the ascendancy of the coalition parties in federal politics, these historians emphasised the role played by the labour movement in shaping Australian national life.
      • The urban laboring man's realistic view of what was possible was shaped by the nature of eighteenth-century America.
      Synonyms
      determine, create, produce, form, fashion, mould, define, develop, build, construct
      influence, affect

  • 2no object (of a sports player or athlete) take up a stance or set oneself to perform a particular action.

    （运动员）摆姿势，做动作

    with infinitive I had plenty of time and shaped to kick to the near touchline

    我有足够的时间摆好姿势将球踢至近处边线。

Phrases

  • in any shape or form (or in any way, shape, or form)

    • In any manner or under any circumstances.

      以任何形式；在各种情况之下（用于强调）

      96 per cent of the electorate voted against Europeanization in any shape or form

      96%的选民投票反对任何形式的欧洲一体化。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I guess; it doesn't seem like we've injured it in any way, shape, or form so far.
      • I really hadn't expected her to think of this as a good thing, in any way, shape, or form.
      • Please, I do not want to harm you in any way, shape, or form.
      • Her family, however, were under the belief that was held by most of Warrington: that the castle on the hill was haunted, evil and definitely nothing to explore in any way, shape, or form.
      • ‘They didn't want a giving circle in any way, shape, or form,’ says St. John.
      • This file cannot be reproduced and/or retransmitted in any way, shape, or form (including but not limited to physical, natural, or electronic).
      • I am not affiliated with the gambling industry in any way, shape, or form, nor do I gamble myself or own any gambling related shares.
      • I am nothing like Dave in any way, shape, or form!
      • But somebody came to me, which was my mother, and told me that if anybody's going to be affiliated with me in any way, shape, or form, it was going to be because of who I am on the inside, not what my appearance was to be.
      • We were not involved in the investigation in any way, shape, or form.

  • in the shape of

    • 1Represented or embodied by.

      以…形式表现（或体现）

      retribution arrived in the shape of my irate father

      父亲勃然大怒，这就是我受到的惩罚。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The second half comes in the shape of three local weirdos with a video camera.
      • Conflict resolution comes in the shape of complete and utter victory for the normally publicity-shy Corkman.
      • Stealing a march on everybody are the South Africans, in the shape of rugged goat farmer and winemaker Charles Black.
      • The turning point arrived in the shape of a small, solid female a bit wider than she was tall.
      • Track five stays with the same musical, in the shape of Times Square from Three Dance Episodes.
      • In such a case that imaginative faculty, formed as if in the shape of some animal, may appear to the senses of others.
      • The modern world intruded only once, in the shape of a large computer monitor on which we witnessed some images - but that's about all.
      • But as a rule these assets exist in the shape of things or rights and not in the shape of money.
      • The parting with Victoria was painful, even though an irresistible competitor in the shape of Albert had arrived.
      • But further reasons did come, in the shape of Pakistan's May-end testing of missiles.
      1. 1.1By way of; in the nature of.
        通过…形式；具有…性质
        there had been little or nothing in the shape of academic planning

        一直很少或者没有学术规划。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • It is the past in the shape of linguistically transmitted tradition which determines our pre-understanding.

  • lick (or knock or whip) someone/something into shape

    • Act forcefully to bring someone or something into a fitter, more efficient, or better-organized state.

      （用强力）把…训练好；把…整顿好；使像样

      the bank were eager to whip the company into shape for eventual sale

      这家银行急着要大力整顿好这家公司，以便最终出售。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He was one of a handful of guest directors Mr. Kent brought in over the course of the school year to whip us into shape.
      • This time, the York College employee will put a bunch of self-confessed ‘bad lads’, aged 18 to 24, through their paces in an attempt to see if four weeks of a strict 1950s regime can lick them into shape.
      • But then their job was to judge people who had no idea what they wanted to do and then send them out to companies or jobs where we could be knocked into shape by the system.
      • He asked me for help with knocking his portfolio into shape, in order to pull up the weeds, cut his management charges and boost his returns.
      • There is less of a crowd for August but they soon whip the assembled mass into shape.
      • He is determined his team hits the ground running from day one this season so he's devised a vigorous training regime to whip his players into shape.
      • Basically the producers got together some borderline ‘celebrities’ and teamed them up with professional ballroom dancers who then had to whip them into shape.
      • He told the Guardian later: ‘We are knocking the system into shape so that we can set up powerful departments similar to those in Scotland.’
      • There's no five minute or 10 minute secret workout that can whip you into shape.
      • I'm just curious about whether he has whipped the office into shape yet.

  • the shape of things to come

    • The way the future is likely to develop.

      未来发展趋势

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He entertains a circle of similarly-situated friends with dinner parties where he regales them with his theories on free love, the inevitability of socialism, and the shape of things to come.
      • It would be naïve, however, not to consider the fact that the information society is still an exclusive one, and how the information science and technology community addresses that fact will certainly affect the shape of things to come.
      • The liberal creed of cosmopolitanism, free trade, and peace promised to define the shape of things to come.
      • Unlike Agee, then, who was drawn to elegy, Martínez is drawn to prophecy: he sees the provinces as the future, the towns of Cherán and Warren as the shape of things to come.
      • He predicted no end to the poetic image, for the central aim of poetry is to insinuate the shape of things to come, and that is a perpetual process.
      • Albeit clever, imaginative, notably fertile, this squeaky-voiced, scurrying little ladies' man, the prophet of the shape of things to come, fell short, in every sense, of his predecessor's measure.
      • Every day, a creation takes place as new uses, new mistakes, new copy is generated, each creating a new meaning for the shape of things to come.
      • For those of you living off-campus already, enjoy a stroll down memory lane; for the residents, beware of the shape of things to come.
      • This is a salutary example of the shape of things to come.
      • So we can't help but wonder if this is the shape of things to come for some time: both companies' top-end products are evenly matched, and neither clearly towers over the other as a clear performance leader.

  • shape up or ship out

    • informal Used as an ultimatum to someone to improve their performance or behaviour or face being made to leave.

      〈非正式，主北美〉表现好一点，否则滚蛋

      Example sentencesExamples
      • However, I think that after five years of this you should take a stronger stance and tell him to shape up or ship out.
      • ‘Nah,’ interrupted another, ‘I heard that he's very strict and that he's going to make this school shape up or ship out.‘
      • A terse order has asked the overweight policemen to either shape up or ship out of the job.
      • Pot-bellied police officers in the Philippines have been set their own challenge - shape up or ship out.
      • Like teenagers, we can stomp our foot and demand the run of the house, but unless we pay the bills we can be told to shape up or ship out.
      • He said yesterday that if teachers do not pay more attention to their chosen career they should shape up or ship out.
      • The gist of what they told us was this: shape up or ship out.
      • ‘Australia is our compassionate mother, and I say to every person living in Australia, from the person in the highest office down to the ordinary man on the street, love this country or leave it, shape up or ship out,’ he said.
      • Henry is taking the long-term view and it may actually be a warning to the four wingers in the party that they may have to shape up or ship out.
      • A lot may be expected of Button, who needs to shape up or ship out, but the debutants should be gifted a bit more breathing space.

  • take shape

    • Assume a distinct form; develop into something definite or tangible.

      成形；形成

      the past few months have seen the state's health insurance legislation begin to take shape

      国家医疗保险立法在过去几个月中开始成形。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Globally, ambitious efforts to develop wind power are beginning to take shape.
      • While compositions on their previous effort had time to develop and take shape, here they are set to impact at once.
      • Here's a look at some of the other developments taking shape around town.
      • The party, now in its 12th year, helped residents build a sense of community back when the development was just taking shape.
      • As we closed in on the far shore, a small town began to take shape.
      • A reversal of that conventional wisdom began taking shape in the early nineties, following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
      • The outlines of another strategy also began to take shape.
      • The question that remains, however, is what alternative narrative takes shape where the developmental trajectory of the narrative of self-making leaves off.
      • Alongside the secular model of marriage, an ecclesiastical model is beginning to take shape and definition.
      • Elation replaced doubt when the schemes began to take shape.
      Synonyms
      become clear, become definite, become tangible, crystallize, gel, come together, fall into place

  • throw shapes

    • informal Dance to popular music.

      I watched as other clubbers threw shapes on the dance floor
      yours truly attempted to throw some shapes to long forgotten tunes from the 1970s
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Even passers-by stopped to watch the women as they happily threw shapes for the camera on Kildare Street.
      • It wasn't till a month later that I realised I'd been throwing shapes to a cover of 'Anyone of Us'.
      • Some young children joined the fun, imitating Liam's athleticism as he threw shapes and belted out popular numbers such as "You can love me now".
      • She's bellowing her way through 'Singing In The Rain', throwing shapes she's perfected from her own choreography.
      • I ran into O'Dwyer, who, it has to be said, threw some pretty impressive shapes on the dancefloor.
      • He dramatically vaults the barricades, gyrates his hips and begins throwing shapes.
      • Throwing some shapes on the dance floor was the princess, with her sister in tow.
      • I've been known to throw some shapes to this from time to time.
      • While her backing dancers threw shapes which would have caused blushes at the Moulin Rouge, she bounced through her back catalogue of bubblegum music.
      • His movements are stiff and robotic, like those Bauhaus artist ballets where middle-class guys who don't know how to dance throw shapes in absurd costumes.

Phrasal Verbs

  • shape up

    • 1Develop or progress in a particular way.

      朝特定方向发展；进展

      I wanted to see how things had been shaping up in my absence
      it was shaping up to be another bleak year

      看样子又将是一个不景气的年份。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • A series of interesting competitions are shaping up in the performance categories.
      • So, it'll be interesting to see how, in fact, a trial shapes up.
      • Software could shape up as the next big advertising medium as developers look for new ways to make money.
      • It's shaping up to be a very literary winter season on our local stages, featuring prose works adapted to the stage and a prose writer writing for the stage, as well as work by some of the finest contemporary playwrights from here and abroad.
      • Once thought to be a black-sand gulag, the Pacific coast is now shaping up as Latin America's last surfing frontier.
      • Certainly shaping up to be a must-see is Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's ‘Love's Labours Lost,’ made into a musical entertainment.
      • Yes, this trip was finally shaping up after all.
      • Dropping our cynical snide act, it is shaping up beautifully.
      • Well, it's shaping up to be a great summer for rock shows.
      • Although no parliamentary seats are at stake, the vote is shaping up as a referendum on the government's performance since it took power in June, 2002.
      • I still felt cold as I entered the water, but I nevertheless enjoyed an hour of floundering around in the surf and with the December sun gradually rising higher in the sky it was shaping up to be a fine day.
      • Now, Brett and Therese, of Asby, Cumbria, are shaping up to look and act like the real thing, with Therese aiming to be a volunteer on a National Trust farm.
      • So far, May is shaping up like this for Jacksonville Economic Development Commission meetings.
      • This is shaping up to be one of our best seasons ever.
      • And is it shaping up to be another summer of love?
      • It is shaping up to be a good game for your little ones.
      • Plus, it's shaping up to be a hot summer at the movies.
      • And as someone who likes to have their party plans figured out more than a day in advance, let's look at the parties that are shaping up to be the most popular this year.
      • ‘No one is calling it a free vote, but it's certainly shaping up that way,’ Gallagher says.
      • It is actually shaping up to be a fine purveyor of Caribbean and world music.
      • Her partnership was shaping up nicely along with her plan.
      Synonyms
      improve, show improvement, get better, make headway, make progress, progress, show promise
      1. 1.1Become physically fit.
        锻炼身体
        she was looking for a way to shape up after the birth of her second son
        Example sentencesExamples
        • Believing that we will inspire our patients to make desperately needed lifestyle changes, the AAFP is promoting the untested hypothesis that family physicians should shape up and become better role models.
        • If you already have a special someone, shaping up together enhances physical and emotional intimacy since you both are sharing fitness goals and spending time together.
        Synonyms
        get fit, get into shape, tone up
      2. 1.2informal Improve one's behaviour or performance to the required standard.
        the manager has ordered his goal-shy strike force to shape up
        Example sentencesExamples
        • Go ahead and require them to shape up or start learning to train their Polish replacements.
        • Now you either shape up and act like a mature young woman or you can get on a plane right now and we'll send you home!

Derivatives

  • shapeable

    • adjective
    • Concrete is fluid and shapeable.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The dental cement is a shapeable material filling the space between two surfaces.
      • Little ones can print complex 3D objects with reusable or shapeable materials.
      • The world is more plastic; it is more malleable and shapable than most people think.
      • Zinc, on the other hand, is considered a go-to metal for laptop hinges because it is robust and shapeable.

  • shaper

    • noun ˈʃeɪpəˈʃeɪpər
    • The diamonds he watches so closely are not the rocks on the rings of the rich and famous, they are tiny grains of pure carbon coating the blades, polishers and shapers the company produces.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Only recently have modern humans come to see fire as part of the landscape, as a shaper and maker of life.
      • So what happens when the opinion shapers - the very origins of mass media and epitome of corporate society - become the target?
      • Man acts as though he were the shaper and master of language, while in fact language remains the master of man.
      • They speak of an extreme environment far removed from the daily norm and largely unknown to most architects - those professional shapers of human habitation who have been largely absent in the engineering of South Pole habitats.

Origin

Old English gesceap 'external form', also 'creation', sceppan 'create', of Germanic origin.

  • An Old English word related to scoop (Middle English) that originally meant ‘to create’. The origins of to lick into shape go back to early medieval animal lore which claimed that bear cubs were born as formless lumps and were licked into shape by their mother. This belief seems to have persisted for some time, as the current use does not appear until the early 17th century. In Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 3 Gloucester (later Richard III) compares his deformed body to ‘an unlick'd bear-whelp That carries no impression like the dam’. Since then other versions including to knock and whip someone into shape have come into use, possibly reflecting the former popularity of corporal punishment as a parenting tool.

Rhymes

agape, ape, cape, chape, crape, crêpe, drape, escape, gape, grape, jape, misshape, nape, rape, scrape, tape

SHAPE2

abbreviationʃeɪpʃeɪp

  • Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

noun.1
phr.
phr.v.
abbr.1

shape1

nounSHāpʃeɪp

  • 1The external form or appearance characteristic of someone or something; the outline of an area or figure.

    形状；外观；外形

    she liked the shape of his nose

    她喜欢他鼻子的形状。

    houseplants come in all shapes and sizes

    室内植物有各种形状和大小。

    chest freezers are square or rectangular in shape

    柜式冰箱的形状是正方形或长方形的。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Use a black marker to outline the shape and to write scientific or mathematical equations on the bag.
    • Suddenly, he noticed a translucent, dark purple flame floating two or three inches away from his sister's skin, outlining the shape of her body.
    • Disturbing images of police tape outlining the shape of Evangeline's lifeless body flashed before his eyes.
    • Families come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and configurations.
    • Layered shapes, outlined in black, burgundy or pink, imitate the forms of architecture and industrial design.
    • This will create a clean lined look that will contour your body shape.
    • Once you have outlined the shape of the rose bed, it's time to improve the soil - before planting the roses.
    • Suppose that one of Vermeer's main uses for the camera obscura was to obtain precise outlines for the various shapes in a composition.
    • They cut out the portion where the sod would grow and outlined the shape with bender-board.
    • My finger traces along the seven stars, outlining the shape of a ladle.
    • His dark blond hair was cut very short and outlined the shape of his head neatly.
    • Safes designed for home use come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs, and there's sure to be one out there that's perfect for your needs.
    • The normal, healthy shape of the spine is a very gentle S-curve.
    • The pattern is programmed to stitch an outline around the shape to hold it in place while the edge is stitched.
    • For this he reconstructed a Neolithic forest whose outline forms the shape of an endangered falcon.
    • Try using a garden hose, or sprinkle limestone, to outline the shape of a new bed.
    • Morgan hypothesizes that the mound shape was first outlined by a line of posts set in a wall trench, which served as a retaining wall for the fill.
    • They started putting masking tape on the floor to outline the shapes of machines.
    • Outline the desired shape of your pond with a garden hose or a rope.
    • The shapes, crisp outlines and clear, near-obsessive glyphs are quite exquisite.
    Synonyms
    form, appearance, configuration, formation, structure
    1. 1.1 A person or thing that is difficult to see and identify clearly.
      模糊的人影（或物影）
      he saw a shape through the mist

      透过薄雾，他看见一个模糊的人影。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • All she could see was a light purple mist that clouded anything beyond into indiscernible shapes.
      • Their shape could not be clearly defined as their outline seemed blurred in a haze of grey smoke surrounding them, but they seemed human shaped.
      • They looked up and saw a huge shape outlined by sunlight; it came over.
      • The ground seemed lumpy and careful observations revealed the outline of a massive shape.
      • I am not in the habit of following strange shapes in the mist about eerie woods.
      • Their shapes were not clearly distinguishable, as they were covered by some kind of insubstantial black flame.
      • Holding out in front of her, trying to keep it steady, she pointed it at several of the moving shapes but couldn't identify any of them.
      • Slowly the world started to leak in to her mind, her eyes started to identify shapes; she could see the centurions crowded around her whispering.
      • Throughout the painting are less clearly defined shapes and stabs of the loaded brush.
      • Eldon looked at the radar screen and saw three shapes identified as Coalition frigates.
      • As he neared the hill the shapes took outlines of men instead of the formless gray lumps they'd appeared as.
      • The mist became separate shapes, moving shapes, coloured shapes.
      • Through the dark mist, I could make out the faint shape of a large cat.
      • Peering though the roiling mist, Andrew could see back-lit shapes moving within.
      • Jim was desperately trying to make sense of the golden blur before him, trying to force the formless shapes to solidify, to identify themselves.
      • Ada peered through the frosted glass of the front entrance, but was not able to identify anything other than some fuzzy grey shapes moving around the front yard.
      • He was hunting for greens when he became aware of the dark shape outlined against the shifting, luminous background.
      • In the absence of the lamps, Tesha was unable to identify the shape until it righted itself and stood straight.
      • The field was denser than the War Six field, but the obstacles were more visible and their shapes were easier to identify.
      • At the edge of the woods, a few birds had started to call out and flutter between the trees, vague shapes moving through the mist beyond the half-open bathroom window.
    2. 1.2 A specific form or guise assumed by someone or something.
      伪装；假装
      a fiend in human shape

      伪装成人的魔鬼。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • For Brian was only going halfway towards bat form, then lingering in a strange, supernatural limbo before condensing back into his human shape instead of making the change over.
      • Clouds excite him partly because they perpetually assume new shapes.
      • She claimed that she was under attack by invisible tormentors who pinched her, pricked her with pins, and spoke of women who assumed the shape of cats.
      • From this intriguing postulation onward, the film slowly and hesitantly assumes the shape of a thriller.
      • As water froths into to foam and spray in small rapids, so I shifted into my feline shape and ghosted toward and, with some difficulty, through a window.
      • Phil (played by Stefaniuk) is the alien who lands in the woods of Canada and morphs himself into a human shape, full lumberjack gear and all.
      • Each pair took position before a carrier as the mighty ships themselves assumed a wedge shape.
      • Sara is a metamorph, able to assume a winged shape.
      • Were they a more human form of a being that could assume the shape of any creature on Earth?
      • Animals were visitors from the other world temporarily assuming animal shapes.
      • Kevin was in his wolf shape but changed to human when he saw her.
      • In the first three decades of the twentieth century the discipline of economics assumed its present shape.
      • In these stories, beasts frighten or trick their enemies, sometimes by taking on the shapes of human beings.
      • He is always accompanied by a toad and he can assume the shape of a toad.
      • The cloud assumes a human shape, and begins to solidify.
      • Dr. Bob works in cypress, training trees over many years to grow in specific shapes.
      • Collectively titled ‘Airships,’ all of the sculptures assume the general shape of a dirigible.
      • Raven merely hopped down from Callan's shoulder and changed back into his human shape, hauling a hood over his straggling hair, which was soaked through.
      • He eventually destroys Paradise by assuming the shape of a serpent and tricking Eve into eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge.
      • She'd regained her human shape when she lost consciousness.
      Synonyms
      guise, likeness, semblance, form, appearance, image, aspect

  • 2A geometric figure such as a square, triangle, or rectangle.

    Example sentencesExamples
    • If, however, one starts from the taro itself rather than from the geometric shape, the picture becomes more complicated.
    • By the 1760s they had acquired lids and the oval gave way to square, octagonal, and hexagonal shapes as the century progressed.
    • It is rare to see objects against a background of a square, a triangle, and oval shapes.
    • What you have then is a geometric shape with only one side, and only one edge.
    • Try starting simple, with maybe just a geometric shape, such as a triangle or circle.
    • Stripes, geometric shapes and patterns add whimsy to ordinary rocking chairs.
    • Bold, geometric shapes, abstracts, squares and sharp angles are all appropriate.
    • When they sit down for dinner, all the food is cut into specific geometric shapes and mathematical figures.
    • Some conical houses bear patterning composed principally of chevrons, others of triangular shapes.
    • They angled the party wall to form trapezoidal shapes and adapted the motion to create lively and clearly defined spaces in the units.
    • Some characters looked like geometric shapes, such as triangles.
    • Because Islam forbids the portrayal of people and animals, most Arab designs feature plants, leaves, or geometric shapes.
    • He observed that ideas of shapes or figures, like the triangle, were ideas of things he had not invented or conjured up.
    • On this magnificent necklace, worn by either a young woman or man, the beadworker has skillfully played with colors and geometric shapes.
    • In others, repeated square shapes mutate into stretched diamonds, triangles and irregular ovals.
    • Shape stencil: select unusual shapes like circles and stars - squares and rectangles are easily produced using a ruler.
    • Characteristically he used patterns of interlinked shapes - strongly outlined but avoiding geometrical regularity.
    • Grouping wall decor in geometric shapes such as rectangles, triangles or circles adds interest.
    • Just to the right of the slits are a group of square shapes.
    • Some were organic shapes with lines, and others were geometric shapes surrounded by circles.
    1. 2.1 A piece of material, paper, etc., made or cut in a particular form.
      特定形状的东西；模型
      stick paper shapes on for the puppet's eyes and nose

      给木偶粘上纸剪的眼睛和鼻子。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Cut simple holiday shapes out of paper or felt, then hang with thread from curtain rods, hanging lamps, doorways or over the outside of a lampshade.
      • For each shape, glue two papers together to hide the plain side.
      • Then separate shapes are made by actually cutting the mesh into shapes and casting the paper straight into shapes on the J cloth.
      • Gris too made extensive use of papier collé, and Matisse's use of cut-out paper shapes in his late work is a development of the technique.
      • Cut a bunny shape from white paper in a size that will fit over the pop-up piece; fold in half.

  • 3The correct or original form or contours of something.

    her skirt had lost its shape long ago
    the lid had been battered out of shape
    Example sentencesExamples
    • The disadvantages of the technique are that, while some characteristics are quite stable, others, such as leaf shape, can vary markedly even on one vine.
    • Bend the mesh into shape and arrange it over transplants such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
    • As one, they bowed low to her as her form lost shape and soon disappeared altogether.
    • Cheap brushes are a huge headache mainly because they shed hair and lose their shape quicker than quality brushes.
    • I stepped into a pair of slippers that were supposed to look like wolves, but had sort of lost any shape about a year ago.
    1. 3.1 Definite or orderly arrangement.
      有序的排列；条理清楚
      check that your structure will give shape to your essay

      检查一下你的结构是否能使文章条理清楚。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It has thus fallen to federal courts to give shape to the statute.
      • One would presume these traditions are at least a few centuries old before they take definite shape in Early Modern accounts.
      • Choral movements give shape to the nation, but not merely as a matter of representing the nation.
      • The Protoacademy takes a more definite shape periodically through a series of events in different cities throughout Europe, including this one in Cork.
      • These provide clues of what to expect and give shape to the analysis of the subscription lists.
      • These give shape to the impressions of other travel writers on India such as William Dalrymple, from whom Johnson takes his first cues.
      • And Guggisberg insists that all national history must contain an element of exceptionalism to give shape to national identity.
      • The broader political themes developed in Nineteen Seventy Four that live on in and give shape to Peace's subsequent novels are more particular to him.
      • Paterson's love commands that we look deep into the objects that give shape to things: shadow, mirror, glass.
      • Explanations are not this film's concern - it strives instead to give shape to our incomprehension.
      • The views they articulated sought to give shape to the burgeoning social consciousness in France and apply it to the army.
      • The okomfo, however, will throw out clues to onlookers so as to differentiate and give shape to each obosom.
      • The asymmetrical triangles of water and dune give shape to the engulfing sand and sky.
      • Yet individuals do not have to be rich or famous for their passions to give shape to a community.
      • Fredrickson plays his instrument as a cello, with the ability to give shape to music in which shape isn't always easy to discern.
      • Your mind will give shape to the things you need to fight.
      • These songs give shape to the shadows that darken our doors.
      • China had not developed to the stage when strong and competing social interests would give shape to politics.
      • Marx strove, better than most, to give shape to the astonishing development he saw around him.
      • It is in our interest to participate fully in the ongoing conversations and debates that give shape to art history as a discipline and keep it interesting.

  • 4with adjective The particular condition or state of someone or something.

    特定的条件（或状况）

    he was in no shape to drive

    他状态不好，开不了车。

    the building was in poor shape

    这幢楼很破旧。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • He was in very good physical shape, for he'd often spent time in any gym he could manage to visit, whenever he wasn't flying and could find the time.
    • The Great Depression of this century will probably hit much harder that that of the 1930s since our country is in so much poorer financial shape.
    • The claycrete blocks of the building's exterior were weather worn and crumbling in places, and the solar panels atop the roof were in poor shape.
    • The island's defences were in poor shape to meet such a danger.
    • Another advantage though was that it brought her into perfect physical shape, which boosted her self-confidence.
    • I urge you to get your financial house in good shape.
    • He was not in good physical shape and tended to be rather the worse for wear after lunch.
    • By dawn he was in bad shape - paralyzed from his injuries.
    • He worried about keeping in good physical shape for appearance as well as health reasons.
    • Speaking of health, in what kind of shape is public health care?
    • Carter has a client that is looking to buy a club that is in bad shape physically and financially.
    • Sociology is supposed to show that physics is just a social construction, as if the social ‘sciences’ were in better shape than physics.
    • Renny was still in sore shape from the gunshot wounds and broken ribs, but he was now out of danger.
    • Data-mining projects are generally a good bet for companies in poor financial shape, looking to technology for quick payback, he says.
    • The doctors also emphasized that my physical shape and cardiovascular conditioning were paramount in my survival as well as my rapid recovery.
    • Years of horseback riding and ice-skating have kept him in good physical shape - and he remains active.
    • See, I was never very athletic before that, so I thought it would be awesome to do something like that, and get back into that physical shape.
    • With those kinds of income gains, consumers will be in excellent shape to face the financial challenges that 2005 will bring.
    • Were we in better financial shape when he left than when we started?
    • I'll take an older print with character any day over needlessly edge-enhanced modern prints, but the fact is that this print is in poor shape.
    Synonyms
    condition, state, health, state of health, trim, fettle, order, repair
    1. 4.1 Good physical condition.
      健康状况良好
      she has to work hard to keep in shape
      I trained with the featherweight champion of Europe to get in shape
      Example sentencesExamples
      • As a result, she got herself into shape physically, becoming a kind of Mediterranean Marilyn Monroe.
      • He kept in tremendous shape and ate healthier than the diet-crazed Americans he read about.
      • She did a full physical and decided that I was in tip top shape, but I needed to build my wing muscles now if I planned on flying with them later.
      • The last time he had been here he had had his physical done to see if he was in good enough shape to even take the military training unit test.
      • I don't know if he's naturally that able-bodied or if he uses a health-restorative spell, but he is in excellent shape for his years.
      • He had worked hard to get in shape, and he was in really good shape, and he just had some episodes that things weren't quite right.
      • Reality 2: You don't have to be in perfect shape to make a fitness video.
      • That's been a goal of mine for a long time, and I've never felt healthier or in better shape.
      Synonyms
      condition, state, health, state of health, trim, fettle, order, repair
    2. 4.2 The distinctive nature or qualities of something.
      特色；特征
      the future shape and direction of the country
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The shape of future health-care legislation is yet to be seen.
      • The shape of this paper can be summarised as follows.
      • Our new understanding will lead us to new tools, which will ‘change the nature and shape of firms.’
      • Orwell's theoretical concerns about the likely shape of the future could be considered a form of political satire.
      • A fulfilled national dream, the railway changed the lives of every man, woman and child in Canada and altered the future and shape of the nation.
verbSHāpʃeɪp
[with object]

  • 1Give a particular shape or form to.

    使成形，塑造

    most caves are shaped by the flow of water through limestone

    大部分洞穴是水流经石灰岩形成的。

    shape the dough into two-inch balls

    把面团揉成一个个两英寸的圆球。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Carefully trimming, shaving and shaping one's facial hair can achieve a never-ending multitude of looks, such as handlebar moustaches, goatees and designer sideburns.
    • Samsung, one of Asia's leaders in design, shaped its Compact Mobile Phone concept like a woman's compact.
    • The earrings had been masterfully shaped into three ivy vines that wove around each other.
    • This is the same type of volcanic rock shaped by sculptors in the Stone Symposium held on New Plymouth's foreshore each summer.
    • Seated around a mass of black stone, a group of young Muslim men are shaping a Farohar - a winged angel from another time, and faith, than their own.
    • The walls were scrubbed to perfection as well, and the glass-less window frames had been shaped by an expert hand.
    • Divide the dough into 15 pieces, shaping these into balls.
    • I would really encourage you to spend the next couple of years shaping and defining the product or the service.
    • They have stolen some of the disposables' design ideas, are shaped like pants rather than towels and have discovered Velcro.
    • There are signposted vantage points on the way which give splendid views showing how the Ice Ages carved and shaped the landscape.
    • The exposed skull lying in the ‘dead red bracken’ has been shaped by nature.
    • Cevapcici are made from ground meat and spices that are shaped into little cylinders, cooked on an open fire and served on an open platter.
    • The Ankh cross is designed to be shaped like a ‘T’ with the circular symbol of the sun resting on top of it.
    • When the dough has been shaped into a pyramid, a thick meat and potato stew is poured round it and decorated with whole hard-boiled eggs.
    • Her slow glide along the coralline ridge reveals that she is slightly larger than a silver dollar, and nearly as thin, her smoothly arching dorsal fin shaping her more ovate than round.
    • Each flavor contains one of Denali's proprietary inclusions such as the Bear Foot Cookie Dough, which is shaped like a bear's foot.
    • Casting is a process by which a liquid or molten material is shaped by pouring into a mould that contains the negative impression of a desired model.
    • The House of Prayer is shaped like a squarish oval.
    • It was shaped like a block, and looked so sloppily put together, with no specific design to speak of.
    • To guide his hand as it shapes the Styrofoam, he projects composite image-and-text designs onto the panel.
    Synonyms
    form, fashion, make, create, mould, model, cast, frame, sculpt, sculpture, block
    1. 1.1 Make (something) fit the form of something else.
      使适合；使符合
      with object and infinitive suits have been shaped to fit so snugly that no curve is undefined

      套服做得非常合身，没有哪条曲线不清晰。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Blandin planes used a T - shaped cast iron lever to adjust the depth of cut by rising or lowering the leading edge of the cutter.
      • The fitted and shaped waist styling really suits hour glass figures and can only be welcomed by women who are not stick thin and have voluptuous curves to show.
      • Autumn, or Bacchus's Trickery of Erigone is one of a pair of oddly shaped canvases, perhaps meant to fit into rococo mouldings, which celebrate Spring and Autumn.
      • The locket itself was oval shaped and intricately carved with the image of a nightingale perched on a vine of Moonflower.
      • The early morning sun filtered through breaks in the canopy, casting strangely shaped shadows over the ground.
      • This spectacular hairstyle combines a sleek crown with a neatly tucked side swept front and a tightly sculpted fan shaped chignon.
      • The tile will be safe for the example load if the trench bottom is shaped to fit the tile rather than left flat.
      • Every block was shaped to fit just so, leaving little more than a paper-thin gap in between.
      Synonyms
      form, fashion, make, create, mould, model, cast, frame, sculpt, sculpture, block
    2. 1.2 Determine the nature of; have a great influence on.
      决定…性质；对…有巨大影响
      his childhood was shaped by a loving relationship with his elder brother

      他与哥哥之间的挚爱情谊对他童年影响很大。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Canadian Baptists, however, know we are not American, even though we have been shaped by the pervasive influence of American culture.
      • As the leader of the majority party in the House, the Speaker also plays a major role in shaping and implementing party decisions on forthcoming legislation.
      • There seems to be little doubt that these twin foci have been influential in shaping how supervisors think about supervision.
      • He never lets his characters off the hook, no matter how much their characters have been shaped and determined by their upbringing.
      • As we shape the economy and the resultant income distribution we are also shaping the very nature of our democracy.
      • As the title suggests, this is a book shaped primarily by an interrogative stance.
      • We can go further than that and suggest that an actor's roles may have the same kind of effect, that cultural identity and national myths may be shaped by influential performers.
      • It was evident that this now feeble woman was once influential and helped shape her past.
      • The history of the larger world is always shaping and influencing what his characters feel and do.
      • And thus it was that the career of a great Indian batsman was influenced and shaped by the example of a great Pakistani batsman.
      • Just how much is predetermined by the forces of genes and how much is shaped by influences such as society and culture remain unclear - and hotly debated.
      • Sadly, too many players have ignored the rich chess tapestry that has shaped and colored the rules, strategies and openings that we take for granted today.
      • The urban laboring man's realistic view of what was possible was shaped by the nature of eighteenth-century America.
      • Frontiers have come in all shapes and historical moments, and childhood has always been shaped by a bramble of racial and ethnic diversity.
      • Above and beyond contemporary political struggles, the migration of labor can play an interesting role in shaping the very nature of political institutions and the role they play.
      • But as you know, no television program gets put on or shaped or determined by just one person, never.
      • We of the Never-Never was extremely influential in shaping urban Australia's view of the outback - more than a million copies have been sold, it was adapted for schools, and a film version appeared in 1982.
      • Other beings have independent desires that are shaped and influenced by all manner of things from peer pressure to economics to physics to biology.
      • In the context of the Cold War and the ascendancy of the coalition parties in federal politics, these historians emphasised the role played by the labour movement in shaping Australian national life.
      • He also played a big role in shaping how America handles its money.
      Synonyms
      determine, create, produce, form, fashion, mould, define, develop, build, construct
    3. 1.3US no object Develop in a particular way; progress.
      朝特定方向发展；进展
      the yacht was shaping well in trials

      这艘游艇试航时表现很好。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It is actually shaping up to be a fine purveyor of Caribbean and world music.
      • Dropping our cynical snide act, it is shaping up beautifully.
      • This is shaping up to be one of our best seasons ever.
      • Software could shape up as the next big advertising medium as developers look for new ways to make money.
      • Well, it's shaping up to be a great summer for rock shows.
      • Now, Brett and Therese, of Asby, Cumbria, are shaping up to look and act like the real thing, with Therese aiming to be a volunteer on a National Trust farm.
      • So, it'll be interesting to see how, in fact, a trial shapes up.
      • Her partnership was shaping up nicely along with her plan.
      • A series of interesting competitions are shaping up in the performance categories.
      • And is it shaping up to be another summer of love?
      • Yes, this trip was finally shaping up after all.
      • Once thought to be a black-sand gulag, the Pacific coast is now shaping up as Latin America's last surfing frontier.
      • It's shaping up to be a very literary winter season on our local stages, featuring prose works adapted to the stage and a prose writer writing for the stage, as well as work by some of the finest contemporary playwrights from here and abroad.
      • Plus, it's shaping up to be a hot summer at the movies.
      • And as someone who likes to have their party plans figured out more than a day in advance, let's look at the parties that are shaping up to be the most popular this year.
      • ‘No one is calling it a free vote, but it's certainly shaping up that way,’ Gallagher says.
      • It is shaping up to be a good game for your little ones.
      • Certainly shaping up to be a must-see is Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's ‘Love's Labours Lost,’ made into a musical entertainment.
      • I still felt cold as I entered the water, but I nevertheless enjoyed an hour of floundering around in the surf and with the December sun gradually rising higher in the sky it was shaping up to be a fine day.
      • So far, May is shaping up like this for Jacksonville Economic Development Commission meetings.
      Synonyms
      improve, show improvement, get better, make headway, make progress, progress, show promise
    4. 1.4 Form or produce (a sound or words).
      形成，产生（声音，词）
      Example sentencesExamples
      • She shaped the words, unable to speak them with the knot of his noose twisting into her voicebox.
      • Lips shaping words that Althia didn't recognize, Morgana closed her eyes and retreated several steps so that her arms were stretched as far as possible while she continued to grasp Althia's arms.
      • The assassin's eyes widened at hearing the way she shaped her words, then he studied her face intently.
      • Lips shaped silent words and their faces were upturned towards the stone woman.
      • Nothing is left to chance, each sound shaped so that it blends into the next, however odd a pairing they would normally make.
      • He cried, his mouth barely able to shape the words to her name, much less find the words that he needed to bring her away from the edge.
      • Much of the new popular poetry is never written down; it exists only as sounds shaped in the air.
      • His lips shape the words I love you, no longer giving them voice beyond a whisper, but she can feel his breath against her skin.
      • Whatever he found he brought to the slate of language, lovingly, deliberately shaping the words to describe what he had found.
      • Violet, however, was genuinely deep in thought, her lips shaping the words as she puzzled out the riddle.
      • River sighed, and lifted his hands to shape the words.
      • The man opened his mouth shaping the words that would meet the master's ear.
      • He ad-libs and shapes the words through constant takes before the mic, getting every last line right.
      • The words were pressed from vocal cords unused to them, shaped by lips that were more inclined to some other form of speech.
      • The only way someone would be able to tell it wasn't a full-grown woman by her voice, was by the way she shaped her words.
      • Her mouth moved, shaping the words she will say to him once her spell is lifted.

Phrases

  • in any shape or form (or in any way, shape, or form)

    • In any manner or under any circumstances (used for emphasis)

      以任何形式；在各种情况之下（用于强调）

      96 percent of the electorate voted against Europeanization in any shape or form

      96%的选民投票反对任何形式的欧洲一体化。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I really hadn't expected her to think of this as a good thing, in any way, shape, or form.
      • We were not involved in the investigation in any way, shape, or form.
      • But somebody came to me, which was my mother, and told me that if anybody's going to be affiliated with me in any way, shape, or form, it was going to be because of who I am on the inside, not what my appearance was to be.
      • I am not affiliated with the gambling industry in any way, shape, or form, nor do I gamble myself or own any gambling related shares.
      • Please, I do not want to harm you in any way, shape, or form.
      • I am nothing like Dave in any way, shape, or form!
      • This file cannot be reproduced and/or retransmitted in any way, shape, or form (including but not limited to physical, natural, or electronic).
      • I guess; it doesn't seem like we've injured it in any way, shape, or form so far.
      • Her family, however, were under the belief that was held by most of Warrington: that the castle on the hill was haunted, evil and definitely nothing to explore in any way, shape, or form.
      • ‘They didn't want a giving circle in any way, shape, or form,’ says St. John.

  • in the shape of

    • Represented or embodied by.

      以…形式表现（或体现）

      retribution arrived in the shape of my irate father

      父亲勃然大怒，这就是我受到的惩罚。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Conflict resolution comes in the shape of complete and utter victory for the normally publicity-shy Corkman.
      • The parting with Victoria was painful, even though an irresistible competitor in the shape of Albert had arrived.
      • In such a case that imaginative faculty, formed as if in the shape of some animal, may appear to the senses of others.
      • The second half comes in the shape of three local weirdos with a video camera.
      • The turning point arrived in the shape of a small, solid female a bit wider than she was tall.
      • Track five stays with the same musical, in the shape of Times Square from Three Dance Episodes.
      • But further reasons did come, in the shape of Pakistan's May-end testing of missiles.
      • The modern world intruded only once, in the shape of a large computer monitor on which we witnessed some images - but that's about all.
      • But as a rule these assets exist in the shape of things or rights and not in the shape of money.
      • Stealing a march on everybody are the South Africans, in the shape of rugged goat farmer and winemaker Charles Black.

  • the shape of things to come

    • The way the future is likely to develop.

      未来发展趋势

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It would be naïve, however, not to consider the fact that the information society is still an exclusive one, and how the information science and technology community addresses that fact will certainly affect the shape of things to come.
      • So we can't help but wonder if this is the shape of things to come for some time: both companies' top-end products are evenly matched, and neither clearly towers over the other as a clear performance leader.
      • Albeit clever, imaginative, notably fertile, this squeaky-voiced, scurrying little ladies' man, the prophet of the shape of things to come, fell short, in every sense, of his predecessor's measure.
      • For those of you living off-campus already, enjoy a stroll down memory lane; for the residents, beware of the shape of things to come.
      • He predicted no end to the poetic image, for the central aim of poetry is to insinuate the shape of things to come, and that is a perpetual process.
      • Unlike Agee, then, who was drawn to elegy, Martínez is drawn to prophecy: he sees the provinces as the future, the towns of Cherán and Warren as the shape of things to come.
      • He entertains a circle of similarly-situated friends with dinner parties where he regales them with his theories on free love, the inevitability of socialism, and the shape of things to come.
      • This is a salutary example of the shape of things to come.
      • Every day, a creation takes place as new uses, new mistakes, new copy is generated, each creating a new meaning for the shape of things to come.
      • The liberal creed of cosmopolitanism, free trade, and peace promised to define the shape of things to come.

  • shape up or ship out

    • informal Used as an ultimatum to someone to improve their performance or behavior or face being made to leave.

      〈非正式，主北美〉表现好一点，否则滚蛋

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He said yesterday that if teachers do not pay more attention to their chosen career they should shape up or ship out.
      • The gist of what they told us was this: shape up or ship out.
      • However, I think that after five years of this you should take a stronger stance and tell him to shape up or ship out.
      • ‘Nah,’ interrupted another, ‘I heard that he's very strict and that he's going to make this school shape up or ship out.‘
      • Henry is taking the long-term view and it may actually be a warning to the four wingers in the party that they may have to shape up or ship out.
      • Like teenagers, we can stomp our foot and demand the run of the house, but unless we pay the bills we can be told to shape up or ship out.
      • Pot-bellied police officers in the Philippines have been set their own challenge - shape up or ship out.
      • A terse order has asked the overweight policemen to either shape up or ship out of the job.
      • ‘Australia is our compassionate mother, and I say to every person living in Australia, from the person in the highest office down to the ordinary man on the street, love this country or leave it, shape up or ship out,’ he said.
      • A lot may be expected of Button, who needs to shape up or ship out, but the debutants should be gifted a bit more breathing space.

  • take shape

    • Assume a distinct form; develop into something definite or tangible.

      成形；形成

      the past few months have seen the state's health insurance legislation begin to take shape

      国家医疗保险立法在过去几个月中开始成形。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The question that remains, however, is what alternative narrative takes shape where the developmental trajectory of the narrative of self-making leaves off.
      • The outlines of another strategy also began to take shape.
      • Globally, ambitious efforts to develop wind power are beginning to take shape.
      • As we closed in on the far shore, a small town began to take shape.
      • Here's a look at some of the other developments taking shape around town.
      • Elation replaced doubt when the schemes began to take shape.
      • A reversal of that conventional wisdom began taking shape in the early nineties, following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
      • While compositions on their previous effort had time to develop and take shape, here they are set to impact at once.
      • The party, now in its 12th year, helped residents build a sense of community back when the development was just taking shape.
      • Alongside the secular model of marriage, an ecclesiastical model is beginning to take shape and definition.
      Synonyms
      become clear, become definite, become tangible, crystallize, gel, come together, fall into place

  • get into shape (or get someone into shape)

    • Become (or make someone) physically fitter by exercise.

      （通过锻炼）使身体健康

      if you're thinking of getting into shape, take it easy and build up slowly

      如果你想让身体健康，那就放松一点，慢慢锻炼。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Yet Dean, 25, who is getting into shape for this August's World Athletics Championships in France, feels the closure of the track has surprisingly proved a positive thing.
      • The pumpkin has finally got into shape, after being abandoned on the shelf for years.
      • Coleman got into shape over the summer, got himself traded to Philadelphia and is an integral part of the surging Sixers.
      • And now what everyone is dying to know is how did she get into shape for the role?
      • But signing up meant their progress - as well as their age and weight - would be chronicled as they got into shape during 2003.
      • Tonight, we're revealing how the stars fatten up, slim down and do what it takes to get into shape for the silver screen.
      • Lopez got into shape, and snapped back to his previous form.
      • You see, over the past year I have been slowly getting into shape.
      • It'd just be too difficult getting into shape to look like the flyweight champion of the world.
      • The determined sisters from Rosses Point have spent weeks in the gym, getting into shape in their effort to wow the studio crowd and more importantly the millions of viewers that will tune in to the show.

  • in (good) shape

    • In good physical condition.

      健康状况良好

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Even if you need to step up your routine, staying in shape is a goal within almost everyone's reach.
      • You're in this together - staying in shape is a snap when the whole family gets moving.
      • I'm the team's only female sprinter, so it's my job to do my best and keep in shape.
      • So occasionally, despite the fact that my work is largely done, I do feel the need to return and keep my senses in shape.
      • So I figured that getting in shape and being physically fit would really help me.
      • If we are to have more years ahead of us, let's get in shape.
      • It is no surprise that stars in Hollywood are known for going to extremes to keep their bodies in shape.
      • See what it would take to get one of America's best-known businesses back in shape.
      • I expected that, with you in shape and all, it would only take you about twenty minutes to get here.
      • He would've been somewhat in shape had it not been for the magnificent paunch adorning his waist.

  • whip (or knock or lick) someone/something into shape

    • Act forcefully to bring someone or something into a fitter, more efficient, or better organized state.

      （用强力）把…训练好；把…整顿好；使像样

      a man who whips a chamber orchestra into shape
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He was one of a handful of guest directors Mr. Kent brought in over the course of the school year to whip us into shape.
      • He told the Guardian later: ‘We are knocking the system into shape so that we can set up powerful departments similar to those in Scotland.’
      • This time, the York College employee will put a bunch of self-confessed ‘bad lads’, aged 18 to 24, through their paces in an attempt to see if four weeks of a strict 1950s regime can lick them into shape.
      • He is determined his team hits the ground running from day one this season so he's devised a vigorous training regime to whip his players into shape.
      • There's no five minute or 10 minute secret workout that can whip you into shape.
      • I'm just curious about whether he has whipped the office into shape yet.
      • But then their job was to judge people who had no idea what they wanted to do and then send them out to companies or jobs where we could be knocked into shape by the system.
      • There is less of a crowd for August but they soon whip the assembled mass into shape.
      • He asked me for help with knocking his portfolio into shape, in order to pull up the weeds, cut his management charges and boost his returns.
      • Basically the producers got together some borderline ‘celebrities’ and teamed them up with professional ballroom dancers who then had to whip them into shape.

  • out of shape

    • 1(of an object) not having its usual or original shape, especially after being bent or knocked.

      （尤指物体弯曲或撞击后）变形；变样

      check that the pipe end and compression nut are not bent out of shape

      检查确认管子末端和压缩螺帽并未弯曲变形。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Wash it and dry it so that later washings, once the quilt is finished and used, won't shrink your coverlet out of shape.
      • The stand requires more force to bend than expected, but when bent into shape, the stand didn't twist or fall out of shape.
      • The springs had long since grown hard and bent out of shape.
      • The door was of course locked, but a bent out of shape hairpin made a good key and I soon had it open.
      • There wasn't very much of the stuff in there because the pot was small, and more than a little bent out of shape, but the aroma was warm and comforting.
      • Shelton grabbed Lyons's derby and knocked it out of shape.
      • The long powerful rotor blades struck a side building and bent out of shape before flying off the top of the helicopter.

    • 2(of a person) in poor physical condition; unfit.

      身体不好；不舒服

      Example sentencesExamples
      • No, he usually drove for jeep safaris, chauffeuring tourists in Ladakh - a line of work that had rendered him scandalously out of shape and unable to carry a full load.
      • Besides getting out of shape, physical problems can hurt your self-esteem, especially if you begin to doubt your abilities.
      • It's also critical to change bad physical habits - such as being out of shape and having poor posture - to completely resolve these injuries.
      • But they also seemed like a reflection of myself - slightly out of shape, self-conscious in pilgrim garb, clearly a little panicked.
      • After all, I was 46 years old and out of shape and condition, but I'm well on my way.
      • Lunch can be a drag if you're feeling out of shape.
      • I was running at the beach without being out of breath, but I thought I was out of shape.
      • If you're out of shape and loveless and addicted to pills and the attentions of a therapist (not to mention afternoon TV talkshows), no matter.
      • The poor out of shape man fainted from lack of breath.
      • But using ample bellies as wedges and levers against the stones and steel, they remind America that you can be tough as nails and still be deemed out of shape.

Phrasal Verbs

  • shape up

    • 1Develop or happen in a particular way.

      朝特定方向发展；进展

      it was shaping up to be another bleak year

      看样子又将是一个不景气的年份。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • ‘No one is calling it a free vote, but it's certainly shaping up that way,’ Gallagher says.
      • And is it shaping up to be another summer of love?
      • Plus, it's shaping up to be a hot summer at the movies.
      • So, it'll be interesting to see how, in fact, a trial shapes up.
      • It is shaping up to be a good game for your little ones.
      • It is actually shaping up to be a fine purveyor of Caribbean and world music.
      • Once thought to be a black-sand gulag, the Pacific coast is now shaping up as Latin America's last surfing frontier.
      • Dropping our cynical snide act, it is shaping up beautifully.
      • Well, it's shaping up to be a great summer for rock shows.
      • Now, Brett and Therese, of Asby, Cumbria, are shaping up to look and act like the real thing, with Therese aiming to be a volunteer on a National Trust farm.
      • Although no parliamentary seats are at stake, the vote is shaping up as a referendum on the government's performance since it took power in June, 2002.
      • Her partnership was shaping up nicely along with her plan.
      • It's shaping up to be a very literary winter season on our local stages, featuring prose works adapted to the stage and a prose writer writing for the stage, as well as work by some of the finest contemporary playwrights from here and abroad.
      • I still felt cold as I entered the water, but I nevertheless enjoyed an hour of floundering around in the surf and with the December sun gradually rising higher in the sky it was shaping up to be a fine day.
      • This is shaping up to be one of our best seasons ever.
      • A series of interesting competitions are shaping up in the performance categories.
      • So far, May is shaping up like this for Jacksonville Economic Development Commission meetings.
      • Certainly shaping up to be a must-see is Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's ‘Love's Labours Lost,’ made into a musical entertainment.
      • Software could shape up as the next big advertising medium as developers look for new ways to make money.
      • Yes, this trip was finally shaping up after all.
      • And as someone who likes to have their party plans figured out more than a day in advance, let's look at the parties that are shaping up to be the most popular this year.
      Synonyms
      improve, show improvement, get better, make headway, make progress, progress, show promise
      1. 1.1informal Improve performance or behavior.
        we have never been afraid to tell our children to shape up
        Example sentencesExamples
        • If your behavior doesn't shape up here or at school, we may have no choice but to ship you off too!
        Synonyms
        get fit, get into shape, tone up
      2. 1.2Become physically fit.
        锻炼身体
        I need to shape up

        我需要锻炼身体。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • Believing that we will inspire our patients to make desperately needed lifestyle changes, the AAFP is promoting the untested hypothesis that family physicians should shape up and become better role models.
        • If you already have a special someone, shaping up together enhances physical and emotional intimacy since you both are sharing fitness goals and spending time together.
        Synonyms
        get fit, get into shape, tone up

Origin

Old English gesceap ‘external form’, also ‘creation’, sceppan ‘create’, of Germanic origin.

SHAPE2

abbreviationSHāpʃeɪp

  • Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

noun.1
phr.
phr.v.
abbr.1
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更新时间：2024/12/27 1:17:38