as in delays
to assign to a later time
let's shelve the project for now
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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
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Cuba is currently facing a banking crisis that delays pension payments to retirees and limits cash withdrawals for the general population.—
Sarah Moreno
June 4,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
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Doctors say the administrative action routinely delays or denies care.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The Defense secretary said the ceasefire postpones the deadline for securing such approval.—
Ben Finley,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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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
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On Good Morning Football on NFL Network, it was officially announced that the Steelers will take on the New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France, which is the nation's largest stadium that holds over 80,000 people.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Shelves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelves. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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