off-the-shelf
adjective
: available as a stock item : not specially designed or custom-made
off-the-shelf software
Examples of off-the-shelf in a Sentence
she chose to have her computer designed to her specifications rather than buying an off-the-shelf machine
Recent Examples on the Web
Unlike lithium-ion systems, which depend on expensive and often hard-to-source materials, this battery uses off-the-shelf mechanical components and simple physics.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Knowing what to provide can be a pragmatic, low-cost conversation – research indicates that the cheapest or free adjustments are typically the most welcome, and that employees prefer the ability to personalize rather than passively receive an off-the-shelf allocation.
—Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
In their place: a range of vehicles and drones that can be fielded quickly, and, in many cases, with commercial, off-the-shelf technology.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
Last year, Schneider and colleagues at Stanford University evaluated five off-the-shelf LLMs in military and diplomatic decision-making.
—Shannon Cuthrell, IEEE Spectrum, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-the-shelf
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Knowing what to provide can be a pragmatic, low-cost conversation – research indicates that the cheapest or free adjustments are typically the most welcome, and that employees prefer the ability to personalize rather than passively receive an off-the-shelf allocation.
—Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
In their place: a range of vehicles and drones that can be fielded quickly, and, in many cases, with commercial, off-the-shelf technology.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025
Last year, Schneider and colleagues at Stanford University evaluated five off-the-shelf LLMs in military and diplomatic decision-making.
—Shannon Cuthrell, IEEE Spectrum, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for off-the-shelf
Cite this Entry
“Off-the-shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-the-shelf. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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