shaper

S1H4A1P3E1R1
/ˈʃeɪpə(ɹ)/

noun

Any agent that shapes (something), whether literally or figuratively.

“one's birth is a shaper of one's fortunes”

Similar
makershaping machine
Less commonScrabble 11

Meanings

nounshaper (plural shapers)

plural shapers

  1. agentAny agent that shapes (something), whether literally or figuratively.

    one's birth is a shaper of one's fortunes

    1 more example

    Considered merely as works of art, these products of the Greek imagination [i.e., Greek tragedies] satisfy our highest conception of form. […] The secret of those old shapers died with them; their wand is broken, their book sunk deeper than ever plummet sounded.

    1876, James Russell Lowell, “Dante”, in Among My Books. Second Series., Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co., →OCLC, page 98
    1. agenthobbiesA person who designs and builds surfboards.
    2. agentengineeringA machine tool in which a single-point cutting tool mounted on a reciprocating ram is traversed across the workpiece linearly. Shapers can generate various shapes, but were most especially employed in generating flat surfaces and keyways. The shaper is nowadays obsolescent, most of its applications being served by milling machines.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna person who makes things

Similar
Broader

nouna machine tool for shaping metal or wood

Similar
shaping machine
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Englishsċyppend
  2. Middle Englishschapere
  3. Englishshaper

From Middle English schapere, alteration (perhaps due to Old Norse skaperi, skapari) of Old English sċyppend, sċieppend (“shaper; maker; creator”), equivalent to shape + -er. Cognate with Dutch schepper, German Schöpfer, Danish skaber, Swedish skapare, Icelandic skapari.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan llimadora
  • llimadoraA machine tool
Czech obrážečka
  • obrážečkaA machine tool
Dutch schaafbank
  • schaafbankA machine tool
French étau-limeur
  • étau-limeurA machine tool
German Stoßmaschine
  • StoßmaschineA machine tool
Irish múnlóir
  • múnlóirA machine tool
Italian limatrice
  • limatriceA machine tool
Polish strugarka
  • strugarkaA machine tool
Spanish limadora
  • limadoraA machine tool
Swedish kipphyvel, bordsfräs
  • kipphyvelA machine tool
  • bordsfräsA machine tool

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with shaper

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

shaper. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shaper

MLA

“shaper.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shaper. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shaper,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shaper.

Source: shaper on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.