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
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This allowed the first atoms of hydrogen to take shape, birthing the first stars, which gathered in the first galaxies. Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2025 This is a small but important win for Google, which has been pumping billions into firms like Anthropic as the AI market takes shape. Ryan Whitwam, Ars Technica, 10 Mar. 2025 Step 5: Let the mattress take its shape The flat, sometimes crinkly foam will inflate and take shape. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Mar. 2025 As the canon of 20th century art continues taking shape, this painting will emerge–has been emerging–as one of the most important produced during the last century. Chadd Scott, Forbes, 6 Mar. 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 Mar. 2025.

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