Synonyms of shelve

shelve

verb

ˈshelv 

as in to postpone

to assign to a later time

let's shelve the project for now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• postpone
• delay
• defer
• wait
• suspend
• put over
• remit
• put off
• lay over
• hold over
• hold off (on)
• hesitate
• hold up
• pause
• prolong
• slow
• stay
• lengthen
• extend
• stretch (out)
• retard
• detain
• protract

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• do
• work (on)
• act
• deal (with)
• decide (upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shelve

After several discussions with her mentor, Val Quinn, former managing director of The Coca-Cola Company Ireland, Craybas decided to scale back her company but not shelve it. — Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Declassified British documents from the 1960s revealed government unease over the presence of the micronation, as well as eventually shelved plans to bomb it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026

Today, it's supported on the latest cards, after community pushback stopped it from shelving the tech on the RTX 50-series. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026

Later in 2020, a federal proposal to loosen that permitting process was floated, and then later shelved. — Alex Burton, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026