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

Pre-cut and packaged leafy greens usually have a roughly two-week shelf life from the date they’re packed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Open my pantry and you’ll see a glorious sight of orange and pink packets lining the middle shelf.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

At this sea level "sweet spot," low-oxygen waters overlapped with organic-rich continental shelf sediments.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

In 2024 a company survey of 20,000 users indicated that 94% of them put products back on the shelf when the app showed a red rating.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Everything was ready, but, needing some outlet for my excitement, I fussed with the pottery on a shelf in the corner of the shop.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

The study examined only packaged foods displayed on grocery store shelves.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Restaurants and major retailers across America – including Walmart, Jack in the Box and Taco Bell – have announced they're pulling food from shelves.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Then comes “Cool Machine,” secrets to be revealed when it hit shelves this week .

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Many of its other products remain on store shelves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Two shelves holding tiny vials of colorful liquids slide forward.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• counter
• cupboard
• ledge
• rack