shelve

verb

ˈshelv 

shelved; shelving

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with shelves

2

: to place on a shelf

shelve books

3

a

: to remove from active service

b

: to put off or aside

shelve a project

intransitive verb

: to slope in a formation like a shelf

shelver noun

Synonyms of shelve

• postpone
• delay
• defer

Examples of shelve in a Sentence

The books were shelved according to category.

let's shelve the project for now

Recent Examples on the Web

LaPorta, dealing with a hip injury after taking a hit in Monday’s practice, is likely to be shelved for the foreseeable future. — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Kodak famously shelved a digital camera prototype, fearing such a camera would undermine its own profits in film. — Brendon Davis, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026

Berkeley Fire Chief Dave Sprague raised safety concerns in 2023 about clearance space for fire engines and evacuation bottlenecks in the case of a fire, which caused the plan to be shelved. — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026

Spanish investigators this year shelved their case, but newspaper El Pais later reported it was reopened. — Fabiola Zerpa, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

shelf

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for shelve

• delve
• twelve

Kids Definition

shelve

verb

ˈshelv 

shelved; shelving

1

: to place on a shelf

shelve books

2

: to put off or aside : defer

shelve a project

shelver noun