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 country had poured more than 9 billion rand ($550 million) into the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, which briefly made South Africa one of the global centers for advanced nuclear engineering before the project was shelved due to delays and rising costs. —Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has decided to shelve, for now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon in his graft trial, preferring to press the parties to reach an agreement that would terminate the case consensually, his office announced. —Galit Altstein, Bloomberg, 26 Apr. 2026

The Looney Tunes movie starring Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor was shelved and written off by the David Zaslav-run Warner Bros in November 2023 after completion as the P&A economics for a theatrical release didn’t make sense for the $70M production. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026

In August last year, The Athletic revealed the new redevelopment proposals after the first plans, initiated by Villa’s then chief executive Christian Purslow in April 2022, were shelved despite securing planning permission in the December of that year. —Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026