shaping up or shipping 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. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of shape up or ship out
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: shaping up or shipping out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.