shape up or ship out verb1 •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.Portions of those letters quoted by Bruccoli indicate that though Hemingway could be sympathetic, he used a lot of ink telling Fitzgerald to shape up or ship out. — 1978 formsshaped up or shipped out · shaping up or shipping out · shapes up or ships out