# Syntax idea: \`like\` instead of \`similar\`

**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/syntax-idea-like-instead-of-similar/456
**Category:** Internals & Design
**Created:** [November 20, 2016, 10:40pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/syntax-idea-like-instead-of-similar/456 "2016-11-20T22:40:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 10

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### Author: ![pitao](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pitao/32/116_2.png) [@pitao](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pitao)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/syntax-idea-like-instead-of-similar/456/10 "2016-11-21T15:10:23Z")

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Then how about `shape` if we are just trying to copy the structure?

```julia
rand!(shape(M))

```

… that actually makes linguistic sense. i.e. You could understand that without prior Julia knowledge, whereas both `like` and `similar` are both misleading.

i.e. `rand!(like(M))` may make sense, but `like(M)` on its own doesn’t make sense. Because the thing it returns isn’t like `M`, it is the _shape_ of `M`.

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