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.

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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

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verb

1. slang (tr) to inform upon

shelf Scientific  

/ shĕlf /

1. See continental shelf

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shelf More Idioms  

1. see off the shelf; on the shelf.

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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

The disease can also lower crop yields and shorten shelf life, making it a costly challenge for mushroom farms across the United States.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines, a government agency, says the islands are part of a continuous shelf extending from northern Luzon, the main Philippine island.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

We now have one shelf of albums featuring the best photos and are eager to take these to our new home and show our kids and grandkids.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

And then she said, ‘No problem, I think I have a pig valve on the shelf.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

There was a little shelf on the top of the half door, too, as if it wasn’t hard enough for the smaller students to see over it as it was.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Waterstones confirmed to the BBC that Faber had advised there were no restrictions on booksellers keeping their current copies on the shelves.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Mandel’s two subsequent books, “The Glass Hotel” released in 2020 and “Sea of Tranquility” which hit bookshop shelves in 2022, were both featured on former President Obama’s “Favorite Books of the Year” list.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Scott Walker, chief executive of growers' association GB Potatoes, said shoppers should expect fewer large varieties of potato on the shelves this year.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

You’re right that standing up all day is tough, even if you’re not lugging boxes to and from the warehouse or climbing ladders and risking your health to help a customer or to restock shelves.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

It was lined with bookshelves, and Max was pretty sure Josie had read every single one of the hundreds of books on the shelves.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• counter
• cupboard
• ledge
• rack