shelf

shelf — noun

1. A flat piece of wood, glass, or metal attached to a wall or fitted inside a piec

1.nounA2
Definition

A flat piece of wood, glass, or metal attached to a wall or fitted inside a piece of furniture, used for keeping things on.

Example

Megan placed her new books on the shelf above her desk.

collocation: put/place + on the shelf

The glass shelves in the kitchen held jars of spices and dried herbs.

Common collocations
  • put something on a shelf
  • take something off a shelf
  • shelf space
  • top shelf
  • bottom shelf
  • stock a shelf
Synonyms
  • ledge

    a narrow shelf-like surface, usually on a wall or a cliff, not inside furniture

  • rack

    a shelf or frame for holding specific items such as bottles, shoes, or documents

  • bookcase

    a piece of furniture with several shelves for books, not a single shelf

Grammar Patterns

a/the shelf

shelves

Usage Note

The plural is shelves (not 'shelfs'). Compound nouns like bookshelf, shelf space, and shelf life are very common.

Common Mistakes

I put the books on the shelfs.
I put the books on the shelves.
the plural of shelf is shelves.
The store has a big shelve of magazines.
The store has a big shelf of magazines.
'shelve' is a verb, not a noun.

2. A slab or ledge of stone on a cliff face or beneath the sea surface, sometimes f

2.nounB2
Definition

A slab or ledge of stone on a cliff face or beneath the sea surface, sometimes forming a wide underwater plain.

Example

The research ship mapped the continental shelf off the coast of Brazil.

term: continental shelf

Vinícius saw a flat shelf of rock where seabirds rested during the storm.

Common collocations
  • continental shelf
  • underwater shelf
  • rock shelf
  • shelf of rock
Synonyms
  • ledge

    a narrower projecting piece of rock on a cliff; more general than shelf

  • ridge

    a long narrow top of a mountain or underwater feature, typically not flat

Grammar Patterns

a/the shelf

continental shelf

Usage Note

The term continental shelf refers to the shallow underwater edge of a continent, which is important in geography and law for defining territorial waters.

Idioms

off the shelf

idiom

Describes a product that can be bought immediately without needing to be specially designed, made, or ordered.

Instead of building custom software, the company bought an off-the-shelf solution.

Haruto chose an off-the-shelf accounting program because it was cheaper than a custom one.

remove from the shelves / take off the shelves

idiom

When a shop or manufacturer stops selling a product, usually because it is unsafe, unpopular, or recalled.

The store took the toy off the shelves after customers reported safety problems.

The supermarket removed all products containing that ingredient from its shelves.

on the shelf

idiom

Not being used or wanted by anyone anymore.

After the scandal, the actor's career was left on the shelf.

Maya found an old bicycle on the shelf in the garage.

take something off the market/shelves

idiom

To remove a product from stores so it is no longer available to buy.

The company had to take the toy off the market due to safety concerns.

Did the store take those expired medicines off the shelves?

Word family

  • shelves
    noun (plural)A2
  • shelve
    verbB2
  • shelving
    nounB2
  • bookshelf
    nounB1
  • shelf-stable
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Shelf, ledge, rack, and bookcase all refer to surfaces or structures that support objects, but they differ in shape and use. A shelf is a flat board, usually part of a cabinet or wall unit, for storing everyday items. A ledge is a narrow shelf-like projection, typically on a wall or cliff, not designed for storage. A rack is an open frame with bars or hooks for holding specific items like wine bottles, shoes, or documents. A bookcase is a freestanding piece of furniture with several shelves, specifically for books. For example: 'Megan put her cup on the kitchen ledge'; 'Kwame hung his coats on a metal rack'; 'The library bought a new oak bookcase for the reading room.'

shelf ↗ledge ↗rack ↗bookcase

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • top shelf
  • bottom shelf
  • shelf space
  • shelf life
  • stock the shelves
  • empty the shelves
  • shelf upon shelf

Prepositions

  • on a shelf
  • from a shelf
  • off a shelf
  • onto a shelf

Etymology

West GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'shelf' comes from Old English 'scylfe', meaning a board or a ledge. It is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old Norse 'skjalf' (bench) and Middle Dutch 'schelf' (a shelf in a barn). The original idea was of a flat surface that divides space, like a plank laid across supports.