Breadcrumb Home > Dictionary Cite Meaning of shape-up Find definitions for: shape-up Pronunciation: (shāp'up"), [key] — n. an act or instance of shaping up. a former method of hiring longshoremen in which the applicants appeared daily at the docks and a union hiring boss chose those who would be given work. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. shaper Shapiro Related Content Daily Word Quiz: recherch Analogy of the Day: Today’s Analogy Spelling Bee: Today’s Spelling Bee Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language