as in delays
to assign to a later time
let's shelve the project for now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shelves
Clean the wood cabinet doors monthly and the interior shelves every three to six months.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Mar. 2026
The result was a fun cameo arc that ends on the image of Scorsese breaking down in tears after Matt shelves the iconic director’s dream project to save his own job — a turn that earned Scorsese his first acting nomination.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2025
Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Mar. 2026
The result was a fun cameo arc that ends on the image of Scorsese breaking down in tears after Matt shelves the iconic director’s dream project to save his own job — a turn that earned Scorsese his first acting nomination.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelves
Verb
-
Developers often struggle to hire workers, which delays home construction and further increases prices.—
Maxwell Harden,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2026
-
Avoiding the conversation only delays the inevitable.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The Defense secretary said the ceasefire postpones the deadline for securing such approval.—
Ben Finley,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This is equally true of society, and disregarding this truth only postpones the moment of reckoning.—
Alec Nevala-Lee,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The gala’s funds support acquisitions of garments and accessories, but also the institute’s reference library, which holds over 800 periodicals and 1,500 designer files pertaining to the history of fashion and clothing, dating back to the sixteenth century.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
-
The financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore even recently reported that one in 12 Milan residents holds over $1 million in liquid assets, placing Milan among the highest concentrations of wealth in the world.—
Laura May Todd,
Architectural Digest,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shelves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelves. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
