From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_297_hshapeshape1 /ʃeɪp/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 round/square etc [countable, uncountable]SHAPE the form that something has, for example round, square, triangular etc What shape is the table? You can recognize a tree by the shape of its leaves.round/square etc in shape The dining room was square in shape. His battered old hat had completely lost its shape.in the shape of something a silver pin in the shape of a large bird The plants grow in every shape and size. The children cut out shapes (=squares, triangles etc) from the piece of cardboard.out of shape The wheel had been bent out of shape.2 health/condition a) in good/bad/poor etc shape in good, bad etc condition, or in good, bad etc health For an old car, it’s in pretty good shape. The economy is in worse shape now than it was last year. Kaplan seemed to be in better shape than either of us. b) in shape/out of shape in a good or bad state of health or physical fitness → fit, unfit I was feeling totally out of shape. I’ve got to get into shape before summer.keep/stay in shape She’s bought an exercise bike to keep in shape. c) be in no shape to do something to be sick, tired, drunk etc, and not able to do something well Mel was in no shape to drive home after the party.3 → knock/lick/get somebody/something into shape4 character of something [singular]CHARACTER OF something the way something looks, works, or is organizedshape of Computers have completely changed the shape of our industry. This new technique is the shape of things to come (=an example of the way things will develop in the future).5 → take shape6 → in the shape of something7 → not in any shape or form8 thing not seen clearly [countable]SHAPE a thing or person that you cannot see clearly enough to recognize A dark shape moved behind them.THESAURUStypes of shapessquare a shape with four straight sides that are equal in length and four angles of 90 degreescircle a round shape that is like an Osemicircle half a circletriangle a shape with three straight sides and three anglesrectangle a shape with four straight sides and four angles of 90 degreesoval a shape like a circle, but that is longer than it is widecylinder an object in the shape of a tubecube a solid object with six equal square sidespyramid a shape with a square base and four triangular sides that meet in a point at the topsphere a shape like a balldescribing types of shapessquare shaped like a squarea square boxcircular/round shaped like a circlea circular tablesemicircular shaped like a semicirclea semicircular arch above the doortriangular shaped like a trianglesails divided into triangular sectionsrectangular shaped like a rectanglea simple rectangular buildingoval shaped like an ovalan oval swimming poolcylindrical shaped like a cylinder The statue is on top of a tall cylindrical column.spherical shaped like a ballThe planet Saturn is not completely spherical.
Examples from the Corpus
shape• The future size and shape of these forces is under debate.• You can get pasta in lots of different shapes.• His heart hammered in terror as he glimpsed those shaggy, hulking shapes of shadowy grey speeding across the meadows.• The fruits are similar in shape and size to plums.• Of course, getting into shape is only as good as staying in shape.• When a neurotransmitter attaches itself outside, the part on the inside changes its shape.• We could just see a couple of shapes in the distance.• If a mole changes color or shape, see a doctor.• It was Mr Oliver Wendell Holmes who said that a mind stretched to a new idea never returns to its original shape.• Such retro shapes demand parallel patterns.• The candlelight on the peeling walls made scary shapes that I'd never noticed before.• The pool was custom built, it is an unusual shape.• What shape is the swimming pool?round/square etc in shape• Gaperon is rounded in shape and made from skimmed milk or buttermilk and often flavoured with garlic or peppercorns.• The ventral arm plates are keeled rounded pentagonal to nearly square in shape and contiguous.• Brawn is usually square in shape and therefore quite unlike a sausage, although it is classified as one.• The dining-room, for such it was, was square in shape, and simply furnished.• They were round in shape, and about three-sixteenths of an inch in width.the shape of things to come• She is 70 now, and the shape of things to come.• Unlike religion, science promised the final authority, the shape of things to come.• A business approach to education could be the shape of things to come.• Parisians saw the shape of things to come in the wooden triangulation towers which were set up throughout the city.• It was the shape of things to come.shapeshape2 ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 EFFECT/INFLUENCEto influence something such as a belief, opinion etc and make it develop in a particular way People’s political beliefs are shaped by what they see in the papers.2 MAKEto make something have a particular shape, especially by pressing itshape something into something Shape the dough into small balls.egg-shaped/V-shaped etc an L-shaped living room → shape up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
shape• In Donoghue v Stevenson in 1932 the House of Lords shaped a general theory of manufacturer's liability in tort for products.• Monetary union is shaping as the new political battleground.• Tealight candleholders by Design Ideas, for instance, are daisy shaped but colored acid blue, lime green and raspberry.• Teenagers' tastes and preferences are shaped by what they see in the media.• One should also explore the present capacities of the client against the background of the life experience which shaped him/her.• She had soaked the leather to bend and shape it into the form of a small shoe.• Gel is great for holding and shaping shorter hairstyles.• Bland little symbols were only mirrors of colour and shape that she had to push around into the order her teachers wanted.• Buffalo needed expert advice and specific strategies to shape the district's future, he said.• Those who are privileged achieve the competence with which to shape the future.• But the company sees state regulatory rules shaping up unfavorably for it, as a would-be competitor for residential customers.SHAPESHAPE /ʃeɪp/ (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) the place in Belgium where the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, one of the military commanders of NATO, is basedOrigin shape2 Old English scieppan 