verb

shelve

to put on a shelf, to postpone, to put aside

Could you shelve these books for me?

Could you shelve these books for me?

They decided to shelve the project.

They decided to shelve the project.

((sth.)) to put (sth.) on a shelf Could you shelve these books for me?

((sth.)) to postpone or abandon (a plan) They decided to shelve the project.

Synonyms: postpone, put aside, defer; Antonyms: proceed, implement, start

Derived from the noun 'shelf'. The literal meaning 'to put on a shelf' extended metaphorically to mean 'to put a plan aside'.

Imagine putting a project or idea onto a physical shelf to deal with it later.

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