bookshelf

noun

book·​shelf ˈbu̇k-ˌshelf How to pronounce bookshelf (audio)
: an open shelf for holding books

Examples of bookshelf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The framed photo of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta sits in my personal office on a bookshelf crammed with volumes about California and the American West. Gustavo Arellano, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026 In virtually staged listing photos, the floorboards are black and polished, the walls are white, and, in lieu of a wall dividing the bedroom from the living and dining, there are custom double-sided bookshelves just shy of the roughly 13-foot ceiling. Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 26 Mar. 2026 Who Needs Friends is on bookshelves now, and I'm joined now by Andrew McCarthy. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026 Once Upon a Trainwreck hits bookshelves October 6. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bookshelf

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bookshelf was in 1648

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Cite this Entry

“Bookshelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookshelf. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

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