shapes up or ships out

A form of shape up or ship out — To either improve one's behavior or else be required to leave; to either improve one's performance in an activity or else withdraw from that activity completely.

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Meanings

verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of shape up or ship out
Cite this entry
APA

shapes up or ships out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shapes%20up%20or%20ships%20out

MLA

“shapes up or ships out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shapes%20up%20or%20ships%20out. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shapes up or ships out,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shapes%20up%20or%20ships%20out.

Source: shapes up or ships out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.