: 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
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.
As a result, many have opted for customized furniture instead of off-the-shelf items. Matt Emma, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025 And the cruise lines aren’t just accessing off-the-shelf solutions. Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 29 Oct. 2025 Instead of procuring off-the-shelf control boards and motor drivers from external suppliers, a typical practice that adds markups and limits system optimization, the company’s designs these critical modules in-house. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025 In recent months, Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Orion orbiter that will be the mothership for any lunar landing, has been mobilizing to put together a group of a dozen other industry players who would build a lunar lander from, essentially, off-the-shelf parts. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for off-the-shelf

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-the-shelf was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Off-the-shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-the-shelf. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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