Library / English Dictionary

SHAPING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of fabricating something in a particular shape

Synonyms:

formation; shaping

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("shaping" is a kind of...):

fabrication; manufacture; manufacturing (the act of making something (a product) from raw materials)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shaping"):

filing (the act of using a file (as in shaping or smoothing an object))

forging (shaping metal by heating and hammering)

metalwork; metalworking (the activity of making things out of metal in a skillful manner)

granulation (the act of forming something into granules or grains)

grooving; rifling (the cutting of spiral grooves on the inside of the barrel of a firearm)

turning (the activity of shaping something on a lathe)

Derivation:

shape (make something, usually for a specific function)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any process serving to define the shape of something

Synonyms:

defining; shaping

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("shaping" is a kind of...):

physical process; process (a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states)

Derivation:

shape (shape or influence; give direction to)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Forming or capable of forming or molding or fashioning

Example:

the plastic forces of nature

Synonyms:

formative; plastic; shaping

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

constructive (constructing or tending to construct or improve or promote development)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

-ing form of the verb shape

Credits

 Context examples: 

All that is happening is shaping your future in a wondrous way.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

They were hard as iron. And I observed, also, that his whole body had unconsciously drawn itself together, tense and alert; that muscles were softly crawling and shaping about the hips, along the back, and across the shoulders; that the arms were slightly lifted, their muscles contracting, the fingers crooking till the hands were like talons; and that even the eyes had changed expression and into them were coming watchfulness and measurement and a light none other than of battle.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

You may work on a novel or other book, screenplay, or the development of a new app. You might be involved in shaping an advertising, publicity, or social media campaign or doing a lecture tour.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)