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

• shelflike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of shelf

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

Example Sentences

“Internet fame has the shelf life of a banana,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

These continental shelf areas cover nearly half of the Arctic Ocean.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

But at a Dick’s in Huntington Beach, Calif., in March, no one had heard of a Shibumi and it took a while to find a few gathering dust on a shelf in the back.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

Once you’re in the store, make sure you’re checking prices at the top and the bottom of the shelf before grabbing what you need.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

He climbed higher and higher until he reached a shelf of clouds.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• counter
• cupboard
• ledge
• rack