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Glite Dictionary
off-the-shelf solution

off-the-shelf solution

3.9
A ready-made product or service you can use immediately without change
  • noun
translation icon : solución lista para usar
  • With the constructal law, the student has the freedom to change the drawing, and the first step in this direction is to discard the off-the-shelf solution.

Examples

  • The new software is an off-the-shelf solution that can be implemented immediately without modification.

  • Site, for some outputs, installing an off-the-shelf solution is live and uncomplicated.

    Blog text (30)

  • QuickTrak is an off-the-shelf solution that reduces design and installation costs by integrating into machine configurations.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Many companies choose an off-the-shelf solution to save time and reduce expenses.

  • For startups, using an off-the-shelf solution helps them launch their services quickly and effectively.

Antonyms

custom
138 4.4

Made or done to fit one person's needs

How Ready-made

turnkey
  • Specialized
1 4.7
off-the-shelf solution
3.9
custom-made
9 3.9

Surface Forms

off-the-shelf solution singular
off-the-shelf solutions plural

Morphology

off-the-shelf + solution

The phrase evokes the literal image of something taken 'off the shelf' and thus available immediately, so a learner who knows 'off', 'the', 'shelf' and 'solution' can often infer 'ready-made' or 'already available'. However, 'off-the-shelf' is a fixed adjectival idiom used attributively and its exact commercial/technical sense may require some exposure, so the relation is not fully transparently compositional.

Etymology

Off-the-shelf solution comes from the picture of items sitting on a shop shelf ready to be bought and used. That's why the phrase means a product or service that is 'ready-made' and 'ready to use' without special changes.