shelve
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to place (something) on a shelf or shelves.
-
to put off or aside from consideration.
to shelve the question.
- Synonyms:
- pigeonhole, table, defer
-
to remove from active use or service; dismiss.
-
to furnish with shelves.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to place on a shelf
-
to provide with shelves
-
to put aside or postpone from consideration
-
to dismiss or cause to retire
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shelve1
First recorded in 1585–95; verb use of shelve(s)
Origin of shelve2
1580–90; origin uncertain; compare Frisian skelf not quite level
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Rather than shelve the movie, Scott — ever the problem solver — replaced him with Christopher Plummer and reshot 22 scenes just weeks before it was due in theaters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Perhaps he could shelve his plans for a 64-team World Cup?
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Manifold had replaced Helge Lund, who departed after a major reset at the British energy giant that saw it shelve carbon-reduction targets to focus on fossil fuel output.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
By last fall, work on the Line all but halted as the PIF appeared to shelve the project, former employees said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
She envisioned Mr. Griswold walking out from the back with a box of books to shelve, greeting customers as the chimes signaled their entrance.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
It’s an invigorating reminder of how many classics of literature are shelved away in the children’s section.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The movie “Batgirl,” which was set to feature a young Afro-Latina as lead actor, was shelved to gain tax benefits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Roberts described the shelved A38 expansion as a "criminal waste of taxpayers' money"
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Plans to escalate the campaign have been shelved in part because of those shrinking supplies, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
We both had books shelved and stacked and boxed and crowding out the furniture.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
Yet the quarterly tax write-off from shelving Coyote vs.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
Price cuts for British customers include the Kallax shelving unit going from £60 to £49 and the Billy bookcase being cut by £10 to £25.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Two fireplaces and built-in shelving throughout the home evoke immediate feelings of coziness, and there are three living room spaces to enjoy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Teeming documents charting the rich subsoil of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo fill nearly 500 metres of shelving at the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, outside the Belgian capital.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Then he winks at you, laughs, goes back to shelving books and eating his sandwich.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
