Skip to main content
shelf

shelf

369 1.0
A flat board fixed to a wall for holding books and small things
  • noun
  • /ʃɛlf/
translation icon : estante
  • The kitchen shelf was filled with spices and cooking utensils.
  • books on shelves
  • library shelves
  • shelf space

You go to my shelf in the foyer.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • OK, so this is what the shelf looks like.

  • I have books on my shelf at my bedside.

  • The one with the product on the shelf in the store is first.

  • And then we also got a little shelf over here similar.

  • How much more shelf space is left?

  • The building currently provides shelf space for 1.4 million volumes and seating capacity for 1,300 people.

    Academic text (2012)
  • She'll be working the register and stocking the shelves.

  • Vanessa can have her own bathroom, and you can have your own walk-in closet with a shelf just for your shoes.

  • Another time-saving change was creating a shelf in the learning commons that would house textbooks for all courses.

    Academic text (2013)
  • All of these tables have shelves and stacks and stacks of books.

Synonyms

bookshelf
vsshelf
28 1.0

A shelf attached to a wall or part of a bookcase for holding books

is used for many object types rather than only books
mantle
vsshelf
14 5.6

A shelf above a fireplace for showing clocks or photos

is used for many support purposes, not only to frame a fireplace
console
vsshelf
8 7.0

A small table fixed to a wall for holding things

is a simpler, primarily practical support rather than a small decorative table
mantlepiece
vsshelf
1 4.8

A shelf above a fireplace where people put clocks or photos

is used in many locations, not only as a fireplace surround
plate rail
vsshelf
6.8

A narrow shelf fixed to a wall for showing plates and small decorations

is suited for many object types rather than mainly small dishes
mantel shelf
vsshelf
3.9

A shelf above a fireplace that holds photos or candles

is used in many places, not limited to above fireplaces
bookrack
vsshelf
1.6

A shelf or stand that holds books

is usually fixed to a wall or frame rather than being freestanding

Idioms

10 5.8

Put aside and not used now

An item you can buy and use right away that is not made for you

Compounds

23 4.4

The highest shelf in a storage space or a thing of the highest quality

19 3.5

The time a product stays safe to use or eat

continental shelf
  • Specialized
4 5.5

A shallow part of the sea next to a continent, usually less than 200 meters deep

4 4.1

A thick, flat piece of ice floating where a glacier reaches the sea

Made in common sizes and sold ready to use

A sliding tray under a desk that holds a keyboard

A shelf above a fireplace that holds photos or candles

A ready-made product or service you can use immediately without change

A metal or wooden support fixed to a wall that holds up a shelf

A hard fungus that grows in flat, shelf-like shapes on trees or dead wood

8.2

A large area of ice attached to land that sticks out over the sea, often near the poles

How Big

shelving
7 2.9
bookcase
38 1.0
rack
205 1.2
shelf
369 1.0
to ledge
  • Specialized
9.2

Surface Forms

shelf singular
shelves plural

Etymology

The word shelf comes from an old word scelf meaning a 'ledge' or 'thin piece of wood', like a flat board you can put things on. That's why a shelf is a flat board fixed to a wall or frame to hold objects.