as in to postpone
to assign to a later time
let's shelve the project for now
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Recent Examples of shelve
But those plans were shelved, as members worried about inviting the ire of the White House.
—
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Petras' album Problématique was shelved by the label in favor of Feed the Beast, which became her major-label debut album; Petras later released Problématique after Feed the Beast underperformed.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Some public works projects could be shelved for the time being and budgets for building and vehicle maintenance would be cut.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The bill was shelved before the Legislature could vote on it.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shelve
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Petras' album Problématique was shelved by the label in favor of Feed the Beast, which became her major-label debut album; Petras later released Problématique after Feed the Beast underperformed.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Some public works projects could be shelved for the time being and budgets for building and vehicle maintenance would be cut.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The bill was shelved before the Legislature could vote on it.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shelve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelve
Verb
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The New Year's Day Evergreen plunge had to be postponed and is now scheduled for March first.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Drugs used to postpone puberty, counseling and meeting with other kids experiencing the same feelings helped tame the turmoil.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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More flights are likely to get delayed or canceled as the storm progresses.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 Jan. 2026
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The Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on tariffs could be delayed until their next session on February 20, unless a rare special session is called.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Just as financial advisors recommend deferring enough into a 401(k) plan to benefit from your employer's full matching contribution, there is no reason to pass this free money up.—
Jessica Dickler,Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
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Its frequent cost overruns, spending beyond budgets and failure to defer and mitigate spending when possible mean higher rates.—
David S. Lapp,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shelve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelve. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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