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

The project has been shelved, said Enrico Caterino, the government's extraordinary commissioner for the blue crab emergency. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026

It was shelved amid the politics and economics that surround nuclear power in this country, for reasons that had nothing to do with the engineering. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026

But Sony ultimately shelved plans for a third Amazing Spider-Man installment after the second film underperformed compared to expectations. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026

The very next day, like an anvil falling from the sky, Forte and his collaborators were crushed by the news that Warner Bros, the film’s studio, had decided to shelve the movie for a tax write-off. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026