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

In a time where fabled bottles are traded and shelved as trophies, Soo Hoo’s decision to open this one is radical. —Pin Yen Tan 9 Min Ago, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026

Project Iceworm’s legacy Project Iceworm was shelved in 1962, after it was deemed too technically difficult — the ice sheet shifts — and as the Navy and Air Force pursued less burdensome projects on Greenland. —Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

If Porsche does abandon the project, that would leave the Concept C in limbo, with Audi having the option to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to finish the project on its own or shelve it, according to Handelsblatt‘s sources. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 6 Feb. 2026

San Jose was on the cusp of a renaissance in 2019, but the pandemic shelved numerous development plans, including a mega project on the downtown’s western edge by Google. —Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026