Shelf meaning

shĕlf
A reef, sandbar, or shoal.
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The definition of a shelf is a flat, horizontal piece of wood for holding items.

An example of a shelf is where books are kept in the library.

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Bedrock.
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A thin, flat length of wood, metal, etc. fixed horizontally at right angles to a wall and used for holding things.
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A similar support, usually one of a set, built into a frame, as in a bookcase or cupboard.
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The contents or capacity of a shelf.
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Something like a shelf.
  • A flat ledge jutting out from a cliff.
  • A sandbar or sandy reef.
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A layer of bedrock, as under deposits of soil or gravel.
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A flat, rigid, rectangular structure, fixed at right angles to a wall, and used to support, store or display objects.
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The capacity of such an object; as, a shelf of videos.
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A projecting ledge that resembles such an object.
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off the shelf
  • From ready-made merchandise in stock:.
    Supplies that were available off the shelf.
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on the shelf
  • In a state of disuse or inactivity:.
    The injured goalie has been on the shelf for weeks.
  • Out of consideration:.
    The finance bill is on the shelf until next year.
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on the shelf
  • Out of use, activity, or circulation.
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Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Origin of shelf

  • Middle English probably from Middle Low German schelf skel-1 in Indo-European roots
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
  • Probably from Old English scylfe (“deck of a ship"); distantly related to sculpt, carve and shell.
    From Wiktionary

Shelf Sentence Examples

  • The continental plateau might for purposes of detailed study be divided into the continental shelf from - 660 ft.

  • This shelf was chosen in 1909 as the site of the public offices of the Union.

  • Around the coast there is a raised shelf of limestone which was undoubtedly a coral reef.

  • On the shelf I arranged the words, is, in, wardrobe.

  • She removed the book from the shelf and opened it to the dedication page.

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Also Mentioned In

Words near shelf in the Dictionary