: 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.
After all, off-the-shelf commercial quadcopter drones modified to carry explosives for one-way ground attack missions are ubiquitous on the battlefields of the 2020s. Paul Iddon, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025 Officials said the truck had been packed with off-the-shelf ingredients, including fireworks, small canisters of propane and exploding targets used in shooting. Dave Philipps, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025 Companies in industries such as finance, healthcare or data privacy may find that many off-the-shelf solutions may fall short of compliance standards. Mohan Kumar, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024 More importantly, Ingenuity was built with commercial, off-the-shelf hardware. Ars Technica, 25 Dec. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near off-the-shelf

Cite this Entry

“Off-the-shelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-the-shelf. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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