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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The future of the music industry is taking shape in this interconnectedness. —

Anto Dotcom, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024 This vision is taking shape today through a new wave of decentralized AI projects. —

Tonya Evans, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 The University of Akron's $7.1 million workforce initiative for the sustainable polymers industry is just taking shape, but some students are already well on their way to filling jobs. —

Maria Curi, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024 How the McDonald's Halloween 'Boo Buckets' Have Evolved Since the 1980s Modern-day Halloween fully took shape in the United States with many communities organizing group trick-or-treating in the early 20th century. —

Aaron Mahnke, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take shape