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shelf
[ shelf ]
/ ʃɛlf /
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noun, plural shelves [shelvz]. /ʃɛlvz/.
a thin slab of wood, metal, etc., fixed horizontally to a wall or in a frame, for supporting objects.
the contents of this: a shelf of books.
a surface or projection resembling this; ledge.
Physical Geography.
- a sandbank or submerged extent of rock in the sea or river.
- the bedrock underlying an alluvial deposit or the like.
- continental shelf.
Archery. the upper part of the bow hand, on which the arrow rests.
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Idioms about shelf
- put aside temporarily; postponed.
- inactive; useless.
- without prospects of marriage, as after having broken an engagement.
off the shelf, readily available from merchandise in stock: Any of those parts can be purchased off the shelf.
on the shelf, Informal.
Origin of shelf
1350–1400; Middle English; Old English scylfe; akin to Low German schelf shelf, Old Norse -skjalf bench
OTHER WORDS FROM shelf
shelflike, adjectiveWords nearby shelf
Shelbyville, Sheldon, sheldrake, shelduck, Shelepin, shelf, shelf angle, shelfful, shelf fungus, shelf ice, shelf life
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shelf in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for shelf
shelf
/ (ʃɛlf) /
noun plural shelves (ʃɛlvz)
verb
(tr) Australian slang to inform upon
Derived forms of shelf
shelflike, adjectiveWord Origin for shelf
Old English scylfe ship's deck; related to Middle Low German schelf shelf, Old English scylf crag
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for shelf
shelf
[ shĕlf ]
See continental shelf.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with shelf
shelf
see off the shelf; on the shelf.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.