shelve

verb

shelved; shelving
Synonyms of shelvenext

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

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
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.
Without reliable patent rights, promising research gets shelved — or picked up and advanced abroad. Gary Locke, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025 Rivals raise stakes Google, long absent from the consumer smart-glasses space after shelving its original Glass project nearly a decade ago, is now positioning AI integration as the breakthrough that could finally make smart eyewear mainstream. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025 The swirling, 23-story Vencor tower, proposed in 1997, was shelved two years later when the healthcare company faced financial problems. Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Dec. 2025 The lower-body passing mechanics O'Connell and his staff have been working so exhaustively on with the struggling McCarthy can be shelved until spring. CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shelve

Word History

Etymology

shelf

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shelve was in 1598

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shelve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shelve. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

shelve

verb
shelved; shelving
1
: to place on a shelf
shelve books
2
: to put off or aside : defer
shelve a project
shelver noun

More from Merriam-Webster on shelve

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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