shelveshelve /ʃelv/ verb 
Plans to reopen the school have been shelved.► see thesaurus at cancel2[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] land that shelves is at a slight angle: The garden shelves gently towards the sea.3[transitive] to put something on a shelf, especially books
WORD ORIGINshelve
Origin:
1500-1600 shelves, plural of shelfVERB TABLE
shelve
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | shelve |
| he, she, it | shelves | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | shelved |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have shelved |
| he, she, it | has shelved | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had shelved |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will shelve |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have shelved |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am shelving |
| he, she, it | is shelving | |
| you, we, they | are shelving | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was shelving |
| you, we, they | were shelving | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been shelving |
| he, she, it | has been shelving | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been shelving |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be shelving |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been shelving |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now.
- Plans for the new stadium have been shelved due to a lack of funding.
- The city shelved the project due to lack of funding.
- All of this information can be discovered by checking with those who work at the circulation desk and those who shelve books.
- Every inch of space in the tiny shop was crammed with goods, piled, stacked and shelved in chaotic order.
- I bundle it away into its folder and shelve it.
- Only a few delegates sensed that pressing problems had been shelved.
- The beach was long, flat and shelved so gently that no normal vessel could have come ashore without running aground.
THESAURUS
to decide that something that was officially planned will not happen: · The teacher was ill so classes were cancelled for the day.· I was feeling better so I cancelled my doctor’s appointment.· They were forced to cancel the concert when the conductor became ill.
to cancel a meeting, game, or event that you have organized. Call off is less formal than cancel and is very commonly used in everyday English: · Linda decided to call the wedding off.· The game was called off due to heavy rain.
if an event or activity is off, it has been cancelled because of a sudden problem or change in someone’s plans: · I’m afraid the party’s off. Nick won’t let us use his apartment.· Myers called me yesterday to tell me that the deal was off.
to decide to do something at a later time, instead of the time that was officially planned: · The show has been postponed until next Saturday.
(also put something on ice) to decide not to continue with a plan, project etc although it may be considered again at some time in the future: · Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now.· The project had to be put on ice due to lack of funding.· Blears called for the discussions to be put on ice until after the elections.
formal to officially decide that a marriage, result, or agreement has no legal authority and is therefore cancelled: · The election results were annulled by the courts.· A marriage can be annulled if there has been lack of consent.
verb [transitive] to change the date or time of a planned event or action to a later one: · The game was postponed because of heavy snow.· We had to postpone the trip because of my father’s illness.· The trial has been postponed until November.
phrasal verb [transitive] to decide to do something later than you planned to do it or later than you should do it, especially because there is a problem or because you do not want to do it now: · I really should go to the dentist, but I keep putting it off.· The concert’s been put off till next week.· The committee decided to put off making any decision until the new year.
verb [transitive] to not do something until something else has happened or until a more suitable time: · He decided to delay his departure until after he’d seen the Director.· Police delayed making any announcement until the girl’s relatives had been contacted.
verb [intransitive] formal to delay doing something that you ought to do, usually because you do not want to do it – used especially to show disapproval: · Kerry procrastinated for as long as possible before firing anyone.· He had been procrastinating over starting the work.
if an event is pushed back, someone arranges for it to be held at a later time or date than originally planned: · Their meeting has been put back to next Thursday.· The museum’s opening date was pushed back so that safety checks could be carried out.· The game on April 1 has been moved back to April 5.
verb [transitive] to decide not to continue with a plan, project etc now although it may be considered again at some time in the future: · Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now.· The city shelved the project due to lack of funding.
to decide not to continue with a plan, project etc until a later time. These expressions are rather informal and are often used in business English: · The project has had to be put on ice due to lack of funding.· Blears called for the discussions to be put on ice until after the elections.· The plan seems to have been put on the back burner.
Longman Language Activatorwhen you are not allowed or do not have the power to do something to change a previous arrangement, so that a meeting, concert, game etc that was planned will not happen: · Classes were canceled for the day.· I forgot to cancel my doctor's appointment.· They were forced to cancel the concert when the conductor became ill.
to stop a meeting or event that you have organized: call off something: · The game was called off due to heavy rain.call something off: · Linda may call the wedding off.
if an event or activity is off , it has been cancelled because of a sudden problem or change in someone's plans: · I'm afraid the party's off. Nick won't let us use his apartment.· Myers called me yesterday to tell me that the deal was off.
British informal to decide not to do something that you have planned because there is a problem: · We haven't really got enough money for the trip -- let's just scrub it.
: shelve a project/plan/idea/proposal etc to decide not to continue with a plan, although it may be considered again at some time in the future: · Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now.· The city shelved the project due to lack of funding.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Plans to reopen the school have been shelved.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[transitive] to decide not to continue with a plan, idea etc, although you might continue with it at a later time: Plans to reopen the school have been shelved. (=cancel your plan, although you may do it later)· The plan had to be shelved because of lack of money.
(=not continue with it, although you might continue with it later)· The plans will be shelved until an alternative access to the site can be found.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· A young couple may have to shelve plans to have a baby, at least for the moment.
Plans to reopen the school have been shelved.► see thesaurus at cancel2[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] land that shelves is at a slight angle: The garden shelves gently towards the sea.3[transitive] to put something on a shelf, especially books