take shape

idiomatic phrase

: to assume a definite or distinctive form : to develop and become apparent or established
The plan is finally taking shape.
Edison's tireless work habits took shape during his childhood …Paul Gray
The proto-planetary fragments crashed together, coalesced by gravity, and crashed again into other fragments, until they gradually took shape as the planets we know today.M. Mitchell Waldrop
… the first half of the century, before the modern medical system took shape.Geoffrey Cowley

Examples of take shape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That vision began to take shape this winter with the opening of the Grand Hyatt. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2025 The partnership is taking shape during a period of dramatic changes to the tax code, and historic downsizing at the Internal Revenue Service. Hayden Field, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2025 And, as these advocates began to rack up successes, measured in new state laws and changes in public opinion, a countermovement took shape. Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025 The upcoming remake of sitcom Ghosts in Australia is shooting in Perth, with the cast list taking shape. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take shape

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take shape was in 1560

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Cite this Entry

“Take shape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20shape. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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