continental shelf

noun

: a shallow submarine plain of varying width forming a border to a continent and typically ending in a comparatively steep slope to the deep ocean floor

Illustration of continental shelf

• 1 seashore
• 2 continental shelf
• 3 continental slope
• 4 abyssal plain
• 5 seamount

Examples of continental shelf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the agency remains narrowly focused on port security and, to a lesser degree, surface platforms on the continental shelf. —Robert Martinage, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2015

But unlike the East Coast, where turbines can be bolted into the seabed, the continental shelf off the coast of the Pacific plunges steeply. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025

But these concerns have abated as the iceberg appears to be grounded on the continental shelf around 90 kilometers (56 miles) from shore. —Jack Guy, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025

The continental shelf offers refuge to creatures not suited for the shallow water or the abyss, including around New Caledonia. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for continental shelf

• bookshelf
• herself
• himself
• hisself
• itself
• meself
• myself
• nonself
• oneself
• thyself
• yourself
• elf

Kids Definition

continental shelf

noun

: a shallow submarine plain of varying width forming a border to a continent and typically ending at the continental slope