shelf

American  

[shelf] / ʃɛlf /

noun

plural

shelves

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

Smart shelves, computer-vision systems, and automated inventory tracking are reducing labor needs while improving stock turnover.

From Barron's

Store standards fell after cuts in staff hours and shoppers complained about empty shelves, slow restocking, and poor online availability.

From BBC

Still, she perked up last year when she looked around his living room and saw a holstered handgun on a shelf.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inside, goods are stacked neatly on racks - with vegetables in one section, freezer units in another corner, and shelves stuffed with crisps, fizzy drinks and even pet food.

From BBC

It was bursting with things for sale: piled on shelves, tied to the wall, hanging from the ceiling in baskets and hammocks.

From Literature

Related Words

• counter
• cupboard
• ledge
• rack