1. Word finder
  2. Word definitions
  3. shape

Find the word definition

What is "shape"

Crossword clues for shape

shape
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
shape
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
body shape
▪ If you’re not happy with your body shape, you should do more exercise.
body size/shape
▪ differences in body size and shape
in good condition/shape
▪ It’s in pretty good condition for an old car.
▪ Boris had always kept his body in good shape.
▪ The Chancellor announced that the economy is in good shape.
influence/shape the course of sth
▪ The result of this battle influenced the whole course of the war.
shape history (=influence events that are recorded)
▪ He is one of the politicians who shaped 20th century history.
shape policy (=develop it or have an influence on it)
▪ These terrorist acts will not be allowed to shape our foreign policy.
shape sb's future
▪ Your boss is the one who writes your evaluations, recommends you for promotions and shapes your future.
variable in size/shape/colour etc
▪ These fish are highly variable in color and pattern.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
bad
▪ Others trying to do that, like Lucent, Alcatel and Nortel, are in at least as bad shape as Marconi.
▪ Sandy was in such bad shape.
▪ Everything up there's a complete write-off, and most of the first floor's in pretty bad shape.
▪ Uptown was still in bad shape.
▪ The galleys were in bad shape.
▪ You see children living in rooms that are in really bad shape.
▪ I knew that several of the others were in as bad shape as myself - probably worse.
▪ Representative government on Capitol Hill is in the worst shape I have seen it...
black
▪ He made out the black shape of another tunnel mouth.
▪ On the opposite shore I saw two large gray black shapes: moose!
▪ The goodwill died with the fire and black shapes loomed up out of the dark.
▪ From the darkness in front of them Blake could see a black shape bounding towards them.
▪ When he looked again he saw a black shape on the ground, another black shape crouching over it.
▪ Children spotting his tall black shape in the street ran away from him, not towards.
▪ Suddenly I saw a big black shape in the darkness.
dark
▪ The dark shape was still visible against a background of dimly lit beams.
▪ It was a dark shape, fluttering.
▪ Suddenly a dark shape appeared in front of me.
▪ The thirty-two dark shapes of our helicopters sat on the lighter-colored ground.
▪ Then, through a gap in the shower curtain, he saw a dark shape.
▪ Like a giant, bald-faced mole emerging from winter, I squint at the dark shapes of the nearby mountains.
▪ The dark shape was coming closer.
▪ I stared at elusive, dark shapes below and watched for tracers.
different
▪ Note the different shapes, and use of a half profile for assured symmetry.
▪ Olympic warriors come in so many different shapes and sizes.
▪ Grayling has now tried a number of different shapes of dining table, including circular and triangular in varying sizes.
▪ Provolone cheeses are made in different sizes and shapes and each bears a distinguishing name.
▪ Sticking plasters, perhaps made from paper or sticky tape, again in different shapes and sizes, offer choice and comparison.
▪ In his open palm were two spent bullets, subtly different in shape from anything I was familiar with.
▪ We know why. Different bill shapes suit different eating habits, but never mind that for the moment.
▪ It was a complex job: there were three colors of brick and over fifty different shapes.
future
▪ But it is also apparent that that totality is not completely known, nor is its future shape even presumed.
▪ One can imagine the future shape of companies by stretching them until they are pure network.
▪ This is the document which spells out proposals for the future shape of Gloucestershire.
▪ The future size and shape of these forces is under debate.
good
▪ All of the houses are in good shape, and there should be no trouble.
▪ You look in good shape to me, and anyway, I prefer more mature riders.
▪ But he could pinpoint the fact that because he was in good shape, he survived.
▪ The rounded pintail winger is probably the best shape for all conditions.
▪ But three hikers missing on Mount Shasta since Dec. 26 were found safe and in good shape.
▪ We found he was in good shape, but had no food in his intestines.
▪ Make sure your car is in good shape before embarking on this trip.
great
▪ Waiting for me down on the sands - a great hulking shape, crouching there, darker than darkness.
▪ And Hong Kong is in great shape.
▪ You travel all over the place, you meet a ton of people, you stay in great shape.
▪ He came back in great shape his senior year.
▪ I was in such great shape.
▪ He desperately wants to fight again and he's in great shape.
▪ The Liberal Democrats are in great shape locally.
▪ The O'Briens looked in even greater shape.
various
▪ One would like to know what these various shapes mean.
▪ Various other breads, in various other shapes, harbor lobster salad, roasted peppers and salmon.
▪ They come in various shapes: erect, for instance, or conical, or rounded or with horizontal, spreading branches.
▪ The leaves are of various shapes and arranged mostly in two rows on the rhizome; young leaves are rolled.
▪ Example A box of wood of various shapes and sizes was brought by a father.
▪ The starch product comes in various shapes, colors and sizes.
▪ They are supplied as pellets, of various shapes and sizes, or powders.
▪ The objects come in various shapes and usually, though not always, seem to be associated with nearby star.
■ NOUN
body
▪ Although they come from the same family as the more familiar Corydoras, they differ in both body shape and breeding habit.
▪ Its body shape means it is one of the most stable road vehicles in crosswinds.
▪ The body shape, too, suggests that rhynchosaurs were herbivorous.
▪ Incidentally, the body shape also means the hand is in the optimum position for absorbing the recoil impact.
▪ They frequently evolve drastically-altered body shape and ant-like behaviours, with the aim of fooling the ants.
▪ We encourage women to accept their body shape.
▪ Otherwise, while growth will accelerate, body shape may be adversely affected.
▪ There's a double cutaway arrangement and it's a very different body shape from any jazz guitar that I've seen.
■ VERB
change
▪ It also prompts changes in the cytoskeleton so that the cell changes shape during mitosis.
▪ To the 4-month-old child, different perspectives on objects appear to change the shape and size of the objects.
▪ Cells can also change shape, exert forces, and move from one place in the embryo to another.
▪ The ground beneath my feet swirled and changed shape as easily as the air through which I moved.
▪ Signals change the shape of an enzyme, thus affecting its reaction with a protein.
cut
▪ At the same time, take the trimmings, colour them brown, roll them out and cut out a door shape.
▪ Gently rework dough scraps and cut out more shapes.
▪ Using round fluted cutter, cut out shapes. 6 Cook for 10 to 12 mins in boiling salted water.
▪ She wore her mixed gray Afro closely cut to the shape of her round head.
▪ But with larger areas it is best to cut out a regular shape and put in new timber.
▪ The backing can be cut to give the shape you want and can also be used around a curved surface.
▪ Even the bread was cut into mathematical shapes.
determine
▪ For the first time the significance of lone pairs of electrons, in determining the overall shape of molecules was recognised.
▪ In recent years a powerful new radar technique for determining the shapes of NEAs has become available.
▪ The statutes of Parliament legally determine the shape of local government and the scope of its action.
▪ It is almost true to say that we know how the genetic program determines the shape of a ribosome.
form
▪ It still lay there on the keys, the fingers extended to form the shape.
▪ The study examined factors that form attitudes and shape behavior on the subject of family planning.
▪ She actively watches the lines made by her arms and legs as they form varying shapes.
▪ Transfer butter to a sheet of wax paper, spreading butter out to form a rough log shape.
▪ Corners are folded into the centre to form a diamond shape.
▪ The water forms the shape of the five Olympic rings in the air.
▪ Gores To form the hemispherical shape of the traditional cupped parachute, the surface is divided into what are known as gores.
▪ Both the 32-cent and 55-cent versions feature a pair of facing swans, their necks forming the shape of a heart.
keep
▪ And keeping in shape with her is a lot better than pumping iron.
▪ Exercise and preventive medical care can keep you in shape.
▪ Hold Fire to keep the shape attached; release it to send it flying.
▪ Does it take the shape of the bag or keep the shape of the cup? 5.
▪ The festival itself is moving into its second decade and keeps basically the same shape as in other years.
▪ You know how coaches love to lie just to keep their tongues in shape.
▪ All animals more than a few thousand cells big need to have some sort of scaffolding to keep their bodies in shape.
▪ What is the best material, that keeps its shape, lasts in all weathers and takes lettering and varnish?
stay
▪ He likes to stay in shape, does Dennis.
▪ I had to encourage him to keep up some golf and a regular exercise program in order to stay in shape.
▪ But costs will have to be squeezed in 1993 to ensure we stay in good shape.
▪ Of course, getting into shape is only as good as staying in shape.
▪ You travel all over the place, you meet a ton of people, you stay in great shape.
▪ The best thing I can do is stay in as good shape as possible.
▪ Even before the crash I took a great deal of exercise - you have to work at staying in shape.
▪ Q: What do you do to stay in shape?
take
▪ Nor there are signs that another major campaign is beginning to take shape.
▪ Or take the shapes and figures of whales outlined by the stars on a bright night at sea.
▪ But, however painfully, the Dole campaign is taking shape.
▪ He watched the puddle take shape on the floor, his arms crossed at the back of his head.
▪ In kungfu the hands take their shape from the particular animals whose fighting techniques the practitioner is imitating.
▪ A new plan was taking shape.
▪ But it takes shape as it is woven.
▪ The base soon sparkled from end to end, and the facilities slowly took shape inside.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
bent out of shape
▪ Hey, don't get all bent out of shape!
not in any way, shape, or form
▪ I am not responsible for his actions in any way, shape, or form.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ If a mole changes color or shape, see a doctor.
▪ The fruits are similar in shape and size to plums.
▪ The pool was custom built, it is an unusual shape.
▪ We could just see a couple of shapes in the distance.
▪ What shape is the swimming pool?
▪ You can get pasta in lots of different shapes.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ His heart hammered in terror as he glimpsed those shaggy, hulking shapes of shadowy grey speeding across the meadows.
▪ It was Mr Oliver Wendell Holmes who said that a mind stretched to a new idea never returns to its original shape.
▪ Of course, getting into shape is only as good as staying in shape.
▪ Such retro shapes demand parallel patterns.
▪ The candlelight on the peeling walls made scary shapes that I'd never noticed before.
▪ The future size and shape of these forces is under debate.
▪ When a neurotransmitter attaches itself outside, the part on the inside changes its shape.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
up
▪ A few days later the few uneven patches were shaped up with a second mowing, with the greatest of ease.
▪ The story is shaping up as a major event.
▪ Polly was alone once more, rejected and homeless, just when things had seemed to be shaping up.
▪ Bob Farner is shaping up as the misdemeanor trial of the century.
▪ Put a plug in it, Ollie. Shape up.
▪ Immigration is shaping up as a major presidential campaign issue this year especially in California.
▪ The parts can now be shaped up, the final cleaning up around the joint areas to be done after gluing.
▪ Either way, it is shaping up as an interesting ride.
■ NOUN
attitude
▪ Auden's influence on the young Britten was enormous: it shaped his whole attitude to the setting of words.
▪ Children think in black and white, good and bad, and the comic has a powerful influence on shaping attitudes.
▪ But on nothing has the culture of contentment been so successful as in shaping the accepted attitude toward the state.
▪ Training and experience provide the expertise, whilst company culture and experience shape the attitudes.
▪ The local topography helped in many subtle ways to shape their attitudes and whole outlook on life.
behaviour
▪ Animals discover by experimentation what works and what does not, and so experience shapes the behaviour.
▪ They provide social contexts for shaping the day-to-day behaviour or adolescents, and encourage conformity to norms and values.
▪ When it comes to attributes such as size, shape or behaviour, many genes of large or small effect are involved.
▪ Constanza says that the novel plays such a part in shaping social behaviour.
▪ But that doesn't go very far unless you also examine the structural influences which shape personal behaviour.
▪ A second difference is that animals are tested using instrumental learning procedures to shape their choice behaviour.
course
▪ Little do we know that this drink will shape the course of the rest of the tour.
culture
▪ By providing an intellectual framework through which people interpret reality and understand history it must of necessity shape our culture.
▪ Such points of reference are, of course, shaped by culture.
▪ Two distinct, though interrelated, forces have shaped modern Western culture and identity.
▪ She is a thoughtful, articulate woman shaped by contemporary pop culture.
development
▪ Part 1 reviews the forces shaping housing development and settlement patterns.
▪ Always pioneering, his work in Leeds helped shape the direction of development within the City.
▪ Moreover, the local council has been heavily implicated in these processes, initiating and shaping the town's development.
event
▪ All those events shaped the world after 1945.
▪ If you learn to anticipate the future and shape events rather than being shaped by them you will benefit in significant ways.
▪ The second major event to shape economic life in this country was the depression of the twenties and the thirties.
▪ Then in a few weeks' time it will have been outstripped by the very events which it is shaping.
▪ As well as important historical events that helped to shape the town, the walks show how people lived, worked and enjoyed themselves.
experience
▪ One should also explore the present capacities of the client against the background of the life experience which shaped him/her.
▪ It was the beginning of a passion for Bordeaux wines and a key experience that shaped his adult life.
▪ This history and experience shaped the way he was perceived by others.
▪ Animals discover by experimentation what works and what does not, and so experience shapes the behaviour.
▪ This experience shaped the political ambition that led ultimately to his coup of 23 July 1952.
▪ Training and experience provide the expertise, whilst company culture and experience shape the attitudes.
factor
▪ These factors shaped distinctive family patterns in the working class.
▪ We, as others, believe that Microsoft will be a big factor in shaping the on-line market.
▪ A host of factors shape capitalists' confidence in the future.
▪ The telcos' competitive or redundant activities will be a major factor in the shaping of the I-way.
▪ Two major factors have shaped these changes.
▪ This information will help to identify factors which shape their perceptions of the language and cultures of the Arab world.
▪ Michael Haines has produced a nontechnical guide to the natural, economic and social factors which shape the modern industry.
▪ Of course, there are other factors which will have shaped the result of this historic presidential election.
forces
▪ There was time for domestic forces to shape a new nation without the same constant vigilance of the behaviour of neighbours.
▪ Part 1 reviews the forces shaping housing development and settlement patterns.
▪ His discussion of the forces that shape it is one of the best parts of his book.
▪ In that sense the development of a post-industrial economy is unconnected to the forces which shaped industrial society.
▪ Or did unseen forces shape them?
▪ Two distinct, though interrelated, forces have shaped modern Western culture and identity.
▪ His unbeatable skills in the ring and his deep insights into the historical forces shaping his era make him unique.
form
▪ Design is the activity which produces the form, which mediates the complex of inputs and shapes these into a form.
▪ Thriving organizations, in contrast, embrace success in whatever shape or form it appears.
▪ The move away from residential to alternative family care shaped the form of subsequent endeavours to help children.
future
▪ Acquired expertise and skill give her the confidence to make the choices that will shape her future.
▪ Your boss is the one who writes your evaluations, recommends you for promotions and raises, and shapes your future.
▪ In the scarred, sacred land, myths continue to distort the past and shape the future.
▪ Those who are privileged achieve the competence with which to shape the future.
▪ Buffalo needed expert advice and specific strategies to shape the district's future, he said.
▪ The things they plan and share will shape the future of the city, as well as the future of their heirs.
▪ Career majors provide a context in which students can learn and apply their academic skills and shape their future goals.
history
▪ These are the people we believe have shaped and moulded history, and the society in which we now live.
▪ When man arrived, rivers shaped his history, and men, in turn, began to shape them.
influence
▪ Children think in black and white, good and bad, and the comic has a powerful influence on shaping attitudes.
▪ Perhaps these are the crucial influences that shape the child's personality development.
▪ But that doesn't go very far unless you also examine the structural influences which shape personal behaviour.
life
▪ Things tend to go your way and you like that feeling of control in shaping your life.
▪ We shape life, rather than being shaped by it.
▪ This suggests that Elizabeth does have some freedom to shape her life, although society will always place limitations on that freedom.
▪ It was the beginning of a passion for Bordeaux wines and a key experience that shaped his adult life.
▪ A more qualified response might be, yes, in various ways which collectively have shaped musical life as we know it.
▪ It feels as if distancing and disconnection are shaping modern life.
policy
▪ Following the debacle of 1931, the trade unions came to play an increasingly important part in shaping Labour policy.
▪ Modeled along Confucian lines, it consisted of six ministries that shaped policy, each paralleled by a department to implement decisions.
▪ The extent to which ideas and values actually shape policy change requires careful empirical enquiry.
▪ Recollections of past events do not necessarily shape policy, but they certainly influence the thinking of the individual who shapes policy.
▪ Industry should be allowed to fashion and to shape its own policies based on the needs of the employer group companies.
process
▪ Consequently, they should prepare themselves for the process by shaping the plans for their appointment procedure in some detail.
▪ In the process, they even shaped the agenda, putting a minimum wage hike high on the national table.
▪ He conveys vividly the absurdity of a situation, but he is incurious about the underlying processes which shape it.
▪ Moreover, the local council has been heavily implicated in these processes, initiating and shaping the town's development.
role
▪ Nevertheless, I shall argue that each theme has played an important role in shaping the functionalist style in public law.
▪ Congress still has a big role to play in shaping the missile defence budget.
▪ And yet the popular music Press plays a key role in shaping new styles and sounds.
▪ And on letting it play as large a role in shaping the way we live.
▪ While Dicey played a major role in shaping this tradition, his particular views are not to be equated with it.
▪ Yet over the years internecine warfare has played an important role in shaping the Republican Party.
▪ Geography too came to play a major role in shaping the social life of the city.
society
▪ In that sense the development of a post-industrial economy is unconnected to the forces which shaped industrial society.
strategy
▪ Multi-nationals' resources and ambitions shape both their global strategies and choices of location.
▪ Morris claims that shaping the campaign strategy was not as simple as taking a poll and then determining what Clinton would say.
▪ In shaping your strategy, do not assume that top management commitment and buy-in are enough.
▪ Events and issues shape the strategy.
▪ Many companies are looking outside their organization as well as within when shaping their business strategies.
▪ Part 2 assists you in shaping and improvising strategies for leading performance and change initiatives.
view
▪ The many illustrated journals of the day carried photographs and these images were influential in shaping people's view of the war.
▪ The narrator uses Isabel to shape his views on the nature of biography and biographical conventions.
▪ Our past failures to use shop floor people as problem-solvers have shaped the view that labour is a problem.
▪ The public policy of the United States is shaped with a view to the benefit of the nation as a whole.
▪ Whichever direction it may be taking, a monarchy-shaped blur obscures the view.
world
▪ It cropped up yesterday with the information that a positive mind shapes the world around us, preventing frustration and disappointment.
▪ Her decisions would go far toward shaping the postwar world.
▪ A team which can help shape the world for the next century.
▪ All those events shaped the world after 1945.
▪ So unless some action is taken to shape globalisation the world will grow more dangerous and volatile.
▪ Experience nearly 200 years of the technical and social history on the railways and see the way they shaped the world.
▪ In a properly shape world, all the pupils could walk there and home again.
▪ The windscreen wipers give us two neat fan shapes to view the world through.
■ VERB
help
▪ Such characteristics inevitably help to shape parent reactions, which in turn affect the child's adjustment.
▪ They also powerfully helped to shape the subsequent roles and responsibilities of the major providers during the period in the District.
▪ Political leaders, where they can be set apart from the party, may help to shape a party's image.
▪ Soviet experience has also helped to shape the role of labour unions in socialist states elsewhere.
▪ He had helped to shape it, and he was probably right.
▪ Always pioneering, his work in Leeds helped shape the direction of development within the City.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Gel is great for holding and shaping shorter hairstyles.
▪ She had soaked the leather to bend and shape it into the form of a small shoe.
▪ Teenagers' tastes and preferences are shaped by what they see in the media.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Bland little symbols were only mirrors of colour and shape that she had to push around into the order her teachers wanted.
▪ Buffalo needed expert advice and specific strategies to shape the district's future, he said.
▪ But the company sees state regulatory rules shaping up unfavorably for it, as a would-be competitor for residential customers.
▪ In Donoghue v Stevenson in 1932 the House of Lords shaped a general theory of manufacturer's liability in tort for products.
▪ Monetary union is shaping as the new political battleground.
▪ One should also explore the present capacities of the client against the background of the life experience which shaped him/her.
▪ Tealight candleholders by Design Ideas, for instance, are daisy shaped but colored acid blue, lime green and raspberry.
▪ Those who are privileged achieve the competence with which to shape the future.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Shape

Shape \Shape\ (sh[=a]p), v. t. [imp. Shaped (sh[=a]pt); p. p. Shaped or Shapen (sh[=a]p"'n); p. pr. & vb. n. Shaping.] [OE. shapen, schapen, AS. sceapian. The p. p. shapen is from the strong verb, AS. scieppan, scyppan, sceppan, p. p. sceapen. See Shape, n.]

  1. To form or create; especially, to mold or make into a particular form; to give proper form or figure to.

    I was shapen in iniquity.
    --Ps. li. 5.

    Grace shaped her limbs, and beauty decked her face.
    --Prior.

  2. To adapt to a purpose; to regulate; to adjust; to direct; as, to shape the course of a vessel.

    To the stream, when neither friends, nor force, Nor speed nor art avail, he shapes his course.
    --Denham.

    Charmed by their eyes, their manners I acquire, And shape my foolishness to their desire.
    --Prior.

  3. To imagine; to conceive; to call forth (ideas). [archaic]

    Oft my jealousy Shapes faults that are not.
    --Shak.

  4. To design; to prepare; to plan; to arrange.

    When shapen was all this conspiracy, From point to point.
    --Chaucer.

    Shaping machine. (Mach.) Same as Shaper.

    To shape one's self, to prepare; to make ready. [Obs.]

    I will early shape me therefor.
    --Chaucer.

Shape

Shape \Shape\, v. i. To suit; to be adjusted or conformable. [R.]
--Shak.

Shape

Shape \Shape\, n. [OE. shap, schap, AS. sceap in gesceap creation, creature, fr. the root of scieppan, scyppan, sceppan, to shape, to do, to effect; akin to OS. giskeppian, OFries. skeppa, D. scheppen, G. schaffen, OHG. scaffan, scepfen, skeffen, Icer. skapa, skepja, Dan. skabe, skaffe, Sw. skapa, skaffa, Goth. gaskapjan, and perhaps to E. shave, v. Cf. -ship.]

  1. Character or construction of a thing as determining its external appearance; outward aspect; make; figure; form; guise; as, the shape of a tree; the shape of the head; an elegant shape.

    He beat me grievously, in the shape of a woman.
    --Shak.

  2. That which has form or figure; a figure; an appearance; a being.

    Before the gates three sat, On either side, a formidable shape.
    --Milton.

  3. A model; a pattern; a mold.

  4. Form of embodiment, as in words; form, as of thought or conception; concrete embodiment or example, as of some quality.
    --Milton.

  5. Dress for disguise; guise. [Obs.]

    Look better on this virgin, and consider This Persian shape laid by, and she appearing In a Greekish dress.
    --Messinger.

  6. (Iron Manuf.)

    1. A rolled or hammered piece, as a bar, beam, angle iron, etc., having a cross section different from merchant bar.

    2. A piece which has been roughly forged nearly to the form it will receive when completely forged or fitted.

      To take shape, to assume a definite form.

      in shape,, having a good muscle tone; healthy.

      {Get into shape, to exercise so as to acquire a good muscle tone.1

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
shape

Old English scapan, past participle of scieppan "to create, form, destine" (past tense scop), from Proto-Germanic *skapjanan "create, ordain" (cognates: Old Norse skapa, Danish skabe, Old Saxon scapan, Old Frisian skeppa, Middle Dutch schappen "do, treat," Old High German scaffan, German schaffen "shape, create, produce"), from PIE root *(s)kep- a base forming words meaning "to cut, scrape, hack" (see scabies), which acquired broad technical senses and in Germanic a specific sense of "to create."\n

\nOld English scieppan survived into Middle English as shippen, but shape emerged as a regular verb (with past tense shaped) by 1500s. The old past participle form shapen survives in misshapen. Middle English shepster (late 14c.) "dressmaker, female cutter-out," is literally "shape-ster," from Old English scieppan.\n

\nMeaning "to form in the mind" is from late 14c. Phrase Shape up (v.) is literally "to give form to by stiff or solid material;" attested from 1865 as "progress;" from 1938 as "reform;" shape up or ship out is attested from 1956, originally U.S. military slang, with the sense being "do right or get shipped up to active duty."

shape

Old English sceap, gesceap "form; created being, creature; creation; condition; sex, genitalia," from root of shape (v.)). Meaning "contours of the body" is attested from late 14c. Meaning "condition, state" is first recorded 1865, American English. In Middle English, the word in plural also had a sense of "a woman's private parts." Shape-shifter attested from 1820. Out of shape "not in proper shape" is from 1690s. Shapesmith "one who undertakes to improve the form of the body" was used in 1715.

Wiktionary
shape

n. 1 The status or condition of something 2 condition of personal health, especially muscular health. 3 The appearance of something, especially its outline. 4 A figure with unspecified appearance; especially a geometric figure. 5 form; formation. 6 (context iron manufacture English) A rolled or hammered piece, such as a bar, beam, angle iron, etc., having a cross section different from merchant bar. 7 (context iron manufacture English) A piece which has been roughly forged nearly to the form it will receive when completely forged or fitted. 8 (cx cookery now rare English) A mould for making jelly, blancmange etc., or a piece of such food formed moulded into a particular shape. vb. (context transitive English) To give something a shape and definition.

Related phrases:
WordNet
shape

  1. v. shape or influence; give direction to; "experience often determines ability"; "mold public opinion" [syn: determine, mold, influence, regulate]

  2. make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the riceballs carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword" [syn: form, work, mold, mould, forge]

  3. give a shape or form to; "shape the dough" [syn: form]

shape

  1. n. any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline); "he could barely make out their shapes through the smoke" [syn: form, configuration, contour, conformation]

  2. the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance; "geometry is the mathematical science of shape" [syn: form]

  3. alternative names for the body of a human being; "Leonardo studied the human body"; "he has a strong physique"; "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" [syn: human body, physical body, material body, soma, build, figure, physique, anatomy, bod, chassis, frame, form, flesh]

  4. a concrete representation of an otherwise nebulous concept; "a circle was the embodiment of his concept of life" [syn: embodiment]

  5. the visual appearance of something or someone; "the delicate cast of his features" [syn: form, cast]

  6. the state of (good) health (especially in the phrases `in condition' or `in shape' or `out of condition' or `out of shape') [syn: condition]

  7. the supremem headquarters that advises NATO on military matters and oversees all aspects of the Allied Command Europe [syn: Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]

  8. a perceptual structure; "the composition presents problems for students of musical form"; "a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them" [syn: form, pattern]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Shape

A shape is the form of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material composition.

Psychologists have theorized that humans mentally break down images into simple geometric shapes called geons. Examples of geons include cones and spheres.

Shape (disambiguation)

Shape is the characteristic surface configuration of a thing; an outline or contour.

Shape may also refer to:

Shape (comics)

Shape is a Marvel comics comic book character created by Mark Gruenwald.

Shape (song)

"Shape" is a song by English girl group Sugababes, released as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Angels with Dirty Faces (2002). It was composed by Sting, Dominic Miller, and Craig Dodds, who produced the song. The midtempo pop and R&B ballad incorporates a sample of Sting's 1993 recording " Shape of My Heart", whose vocals are featured in the chorus. It received mixed reviews from critics, who were ambivalent towards the sample of "Shape of My Heart".

The single attained moderate success and reached the top twenty on the charts in Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. The song's music video was directed by Michael Gracey and Pete Commins, and filmed in Sydney, Australia. The video was censored and later re-shot due to its depiction of nudity. It features the Sugababes at a masquerade ball in a mansion. The Sugababes performed "Shape" on GMTV, at the V Festival, and on tour in support of their albums.

Shape (album)

Shape is the second studio album from Australian band Frente!, released in July 1996. The album was recorded in Spain in 1995 and produced by Cameron McVey and Ted Niceley. It was not as successful as their debut album..

Shape (magazine)

Shape Magazine (or Shape) is a monthly English language fitness magazine started by Weider Publications in 1981, founded by Christine MacIntyre (a pioneer in women's free weight fitness) and became the #1 women's fitness magazine. At that time, Weider Enterprises consisted primarily of the bodybuilding magazine Muscle & Fitness. Joe Weider and Christine MacIntyre had differing views of how to present Shape magazine, Weider endorsing a less journalistic and more commercial approach to articles, MacIntyre endorsing a more academic, doctor-based magazine. Weider also endorsed a sexier approach to editorial while MacIntyre endorsed a healthier look for women, eschewing sexiness in the models and the copy. MacIntyre largely won that battle, editing a magazine that required that every byline have an advanced medical degree, that cover models should look healthy rather than sexy, and that sexist language be avoided. Christine MacIntyre was the editor-in-chief until her death in 1988. Tara Kraft is the current editor-in-chief. Shape found a readership based on that formula.

Weider was purchased by American Media in 2002. A German version of Shape is available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

On January 28, 2015, it was reported that Shape Magazine would be acquired by Meredith Corp. and Fitness Magazine, published by the company, would ceased publication in May 2015 to be combined with it.

Shape (Go)

In the game of Go, shape describes the positional qualities of a group of stones. Descriptions of shapes in go revolve around how well a group creates or removes life and territory. Good shape can refer to the efficient use of stones in outlining territory, the strength of a group in a prospective fight, or making eye shapes so that a group may live. Bad shapes are inefficient in outlining territory and are heavy. Heavy groups cannot easily make eye shapes and are therefore good targets for attack. Understanding and recognizing the difference between good shape and bad is an essential step in becoming a stronger player.

Shape is not a rule; the surrounding position must always be taken into account. While it is useful for beginners to learn the common good and bad shapes presented here, sometimes a usually bad shape can be the best shape to play locally. This can be true if it forces the opponent to create an equally bad or worse shape, or if it accomplishes a specific tactical goal, such as the creation of eye-shape or the capture of an opponent's group.

"To make shape is to take a weak or defective position...and transform it into a strong one. Sometimes this can be done just by putting one stone down in the right place, but usually it takes sacrifice tactics...."

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "shape".

In all his life he had never been anywhere as unequivocally alien as here, inside a giant torus of cold, compressed gas orbiting a black hole - itself in orbit around a brown dwarf body light years from the nearest star - its exterior studded with ships - most of them the jaggedly bulbous shapes of Affront craft - and full, in the main, of happy, space-faring Affronters and their collection of associated victim-species.

With a crash course in agronomy, they could keep the livestock and the land in good shape until the farmers arrived.

She has also studied allometry and shape change in the skulls of horned dinosaurs using modern morphometric techniques.

The assembled amino string of an allosteric enzyme can tangle into two different shapes.

Our adversaries do not deny that even here there is a system of law and penalty: and surely we cannot in justice blame a dominion which awards to every one his due, where virtue has its honour, and vice comes to its fitting shame, in which there are not merely representations of the gods, but the gods themselves, watchers from above, and--as we read--easily rebutting human reproaches, since they lead all things in order from a beginning to an end, allotting to each human being, as life follows life, a fortune shaped to all that has preceded--the destiny which, to those that do not penetrate it, becomes the matter of boorish insolence upon things divine.

Zelzony has settled to a painful brood over her explosive and ambivalent emotions, trying to wrestle them into a shape more pleasing to her and more conducive to maintaining her self-esteem.

But here in this analogue cosmos they were unimportant, secondary to a colossal shape crouching in an indefinable mid-region, a black corpulence in which floated half-unseen a golden nucleus, like the moon behind clouds.

For some unknown purpose mechs had furrowed and shaped the rough hillsides into tight, angular sheets and oblique ramps.

Darker green and flecks of gold had been fused into twelve vaguely zodiacal shapes, placed annular on the surface of the bubble to represent the iris and also the face of the watch.

ARPA guaranteed a minimum residual radioactivity and the proper shape of the crater in which the antenna subsequently would be placed.

Always their heads turned this way and that as if they expected to see dark shapes of an antlered horseman and other fell manifestations watching them from the shadows, ready to spur forward and ride them down.

Behind him an antlered head took shape and then she saw yet another face, one she almost thought she knew.

She had no difficulty, by applying her will once more, in forming a patch of the flowing energies into something approximating a human shape.

The death is necessary and is called for by the horse himself, making the horse a cousin to the Deer of native American myth, and ultimately to the figure of Christ, since they all give specific shape to the archetype of the Willing Sacrifice.

How had I not noticed, in the archive, that the region represented on those maps had exactly the brooding, spread-winged shape of my dragon, as if he cast his shadow over it from above?