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 The threat of grocery store food shortages during the pandemic then occupied Thorne as the script for 40 Acres and its famine-riven dystopia took shape with the help of co-writer Glenn Taylor. —

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2024 However, Apple Intelligence is also still taking shape, with many of the promised features slated to arrive over the next year. —

Ina Fried, Axios, 5 Sep. 2024 While the project has been beset by rumors of on-set (and off-) discord between Baldoni, Lively, Hoover, and the rest of the cast, another story is also taking shape. —

Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 16 Aug. 2024 However, if the Big 12 were to accept an infusion of private capital and dangle that capital in front of the Tigers and Seminoles, the scenario starts to take shape … if the other Big 12 schools accept an unequal distribution of dollars. —

Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take shape

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take shape.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.