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

Meta completed one round of layoffs in May (about 8,000 people), then quietly shelved the bigger second wave. — Lydia Zhang, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Aware of women’s electoral weight, activists are seeking to leverage that power to seek guarantees that such promises will not later be shelved. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Executive Director Matt Floca denies shelving necessary work, saying inspections this summer revealed how far leaks had spread and that plans changed after a contractor’s estimate came in far above budget. — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

The bus-priority design was first floated during the Adams administration, but was shelved in 2025. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 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