shape up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Political scientist Suhas Palshikar said it was difficult to say how the protests would shape up in the coming days.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
When Robert Duvall was floundering around in college, his father, a career Navy man who retired with the rank of rear admiral, told him to shape up — and start acting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
Cut out those individual errors, shape up without the ball, see out Arundell's sin-bin period and turn the screw in the scrum and there was a narrow, theoretical route back into the game.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
While credit trends improved in the third quarter, investors still don’t know how the fourth quarter and 2026 will shape up in terms of stock-market gains and employment trends, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2025
The downstairs began to shape up at about the same time that Lillian sensed her children could take no more.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
