Definition

1. Noun:
   • A machine tool for shaping metal or wood: A "shaper" is a type of machine, typically used in workshops, that cuts or forms materials like metal or wood into a desired shape by moving a cutting tool against a stationary workpiece.
   • A person who makes or shapes things: A "shaper" is someone who creates, forms, or influences the development of something, such as an object, an idea, or an event.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Machine):
  • The machinist used a shaper to create the precise groove in the metal plate.
  • Old woodworking shops often had a shaper for making moldings and curved edges.
• Noun (Person):
  • As a sculptor, she was a shaper of clay and stone.
  • He is considered a key shaper of modern economic policy.

Advanced Usage

• "Shaper of destiny/fate": A person who has significant influence over the course of future events.
  • The general was seen as a shaper of the nation's destiny.
• "Shaper of opinion/public opinion": An individual or entity that molds or influences what people think.
  • The newspaper editor was a powerful shaper of public opinion in the city.

Variants and Related Words

• Shape (verb): To form or create something.
  • The potter shaped the wet clay on the wheel.
• Shaping (noun): The process of giving form to something.
  • The shaping of the new legislation took several months.

Synonyms

• For the machine: Planer, milling machine, forming tool.
• For the person: Creator, maker, craftsman, molder, influencer, architect (figurative).

Related Phrases

• "In the shaper": Referring to something being processed or formed by the machine.
  • The component is currently in the shaper and will be ready soon.

Noun

1. a machine tool for shaping metal or wood
2. a person who makes things