shelve

verb

ˈshelv 

shelved; shelving

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with shelves

2

: to place on a shelf

shelve books

3

a

: to remove from active service

b

: to put off or aside

shelve a project

intransitive verb

: to slope in a formation like a shelf

shelver noun

Synonyms

• defer
• delay
• hold off (on)
• hold over
• hold up
• lay over
• postpone
• put off
• put over
• remit

Examples of shelve in a Sentence

The books were shelved according to category.

let's shelve the project for now

Recent Examples on the Web

Zegras’ flash may not fully mesh with Verbeek’s old-school outlook, though any evaluation of the union has been obfuscated by three serious injuries that have shelved Zegras for swathes of the past two seasons. —Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 16 Feb. 2025

At the same time, questions over the right of refugees to return to their original homelands in what is now Israel were shelved. —Maha Nassar, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025

The Rolling Stones have reportedly shelved a forthcoming U.K. and European tour planned for 2025. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025

The contraction in exports is causing production losses for many companies, and investments in the sector have largely been shelved for this reason. —Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

shelf

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

shelve

verb

ˈshelv 

shelved; shelving

1

: to place on a shelf

shelve books

2

: to put off or aside : defer

shelve a project

shelver noun