shelve
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to place (something) on a shelf or shelves.
-
to put off or aside from consideration.
to shelve the question.
- Synonyms:
- pigeonhole, table, defer
-
to remove from active use or service; dismiss.
-
to furnish with shelves.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to place on a shelf
-
to provide with shelves
-
to put aside or postpone from consideration
-
to dismiss or cause to retire
verb
Other Word Forms
- shelver noun
Etymology
Origin of shelve1
First recorded in 1585–95; verb use of shelve(s)
Origin of shelve2
1580–90; origin uncertain; compare Frisian skelf not quite level
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pulp's first album since 2001, More, somehow manages to sound as if it was recorded and shelved in their mid-90s heyday.
From BBC
The Volkswagen decision to shelve the vehicle a little more than a year after going on sale in the U.S. underlines how EV sales could struggle in the absence of financial incentives.
British energy giant BP, which this year shelved targets on reducing carbon emissions, has appointed industry veteran Meg O'Neill to be chief executive from April, replacing Murray Auchincloss who stepped down Thursday.
From Barron's
But officials say that scheme has been shelved as it requires unanimous approval from the EU's 27 leaders and Hungary has ruled it out.
From Barron's
A lot of it’s reclaimed stuff, and he put really cool metal shelving up to make a jam wall.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
