shelf

American  

[shelf] / ʃɛlf /

noun

• shelves
  plural

1. a thin slab of wood, metal, etc., fixed horizontally to a wall or in a frame, for supporting objects.

2. the contents of this.

   a shelf of books.

3. a surface or projection resembling this; ledge.

4. Physical Geography.

   1. a sandbank or submerged extent of rock in the sea or river.

   2. the bedrock underlying an alluvial deposit or the like.

   3. continental shelf.

5. Archery. the upper part of the bow hand, on which the arrow rests.

---

idioms

1. off the shelf, readily available from merchandise in stock.

   Any of those parts can be purchased off the shelf.

2. on the shelf,

   1. put aside temporarily; postponed.

   2. inactive; useless.

   3. without prospects of marriage, as after having broken an engagement.

shelf British  

/ ʃɛlf /

noun

1. a thin flat plank of wood, metal, etc, fixed horizontally against a wall, etc, for the purpose of supporting objects

2. something resembling this in shape or function

3. the objects placed on a shelf, regarded collectively

   a shelf of books

4. a projecting layer of ice, rock, etc, on land or in the sea See also continental shelf

5. mining a layer of bedrock hit when sinking a shaft

6. archery the part of the hand on which an arrow rests when the bow is grasped

7. See off the shelf

8. put aside or abandoned: used esp of unmarried women considered to be past the age of marriage

---

verb

1. slang (tr) to inform upon

shelf Scientific  

/ shĕlf /

1. See continental shelf

---

shelf More Idioms  

1. see off the shelf; on the shelf.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shelflike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shelves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of shelf

1350–1400; Middle English; Old English scylfe; akin to Low German schelf shelf, Old Norse -skjalf bench

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shelf shelves

They are typically made with refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts, and other additives designed to improve flavor, texture, and shelf life, often while lowering nutritional quality.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Freshwater from melting glaciers in East Greenland's spectacular fjords and its coastal shelf contribute to two major Arctic currents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Olsen: Yeah, but at some point, your shelf is full.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Fraud, a greater value placed on insider knowledge, and a longer shelf life for bad corporate strategy would be “bogies of the slower reporting cycle,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

He’d read every book in the library shelf, twice.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

For the first time, those looking to try Erewhon’s viral $21 smoothies or simply look through shelves of expensive groceries won’t have to enter Los Angeles County to do so.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

"There are stacks of games on everybody's shelves," Sharma said.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Their work is part of a broader effort to better understand the processes responsible for the calving and retreat of Arctic ice shelves.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

Apple pulled the entry-level Mac Mini from shelves, then brought it back at $799—up from $599.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

As I shuffle through the random objects in search of a key, the shelves wobble and a stack of papers falls from the top shelf.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• counter
• cupboard
• ledge
• rack