: available as a stock item : not specially designed or custom-made
off-the-shelf software

Examples of off-the-shelf in a Sentence

she chose to have her computer designed to her specifications rather than buying an off-the-shelf machine
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
DoD brass blocked it from using off-the-shelf commercial satellites, as originally envisioned, over worries about relying on private-sector companies that could fail or change their business strategies. Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025 Other research teams, including scientists at MD Anderson, are working on off-the-shelf mRNA vaccines for pancreatic cancer, meaning the vaccines have a target that is common in all pancreatic cancer tumors, rather than a personalized target based on a person’s individual tumor. Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025 Because virtually no mainstream economists think that universal tariffs are a good idea, there is no off-the-shelf policy model to adopt. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2025 Instead of relying on outdated off-the-shelf solutions, HR leaders must identify the specific skills and capabilities necessary to achieve their company’s strategic objectives. Dave Barnett, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for off-the-shelf

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-the-shelf was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Off-the-shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-the-shelf. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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