SHELVE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Shelve

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/ʃɛlv/ Listen

verb

Shelve v. t.

To furnish with shelves; as, to shelve a closet or a library.

To place on a shelf. Hence: To lay on the shelf; to put aside; to dismiss from service; to put off indefinitely; as, to shelve an officer; to shelve a claim.

Shelve v. i. (past & past part. shelved; pres. part. shelving) To incline gradually; to be slopping; as, the bottom shelves from the shore.

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Etymology of 'Shelve'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Shelve" Quotes from Famous Books

... is shelving there will be first a retreat of the water, and then the wave will break upon the beach and roll far in upon the land." This is precisely what happened when the great wave reached the eastern shores of New Zealand, which are known to shelve down to very shallow water, continuing far away to ...

— Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20) - Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky • Various

... an IMF-supported program designed to gradually reduce the budget deficit and implement badly needed structural reforms. The Persian Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade contracted; and refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments ...

— The 1997 CIA World Factbook • United States. Central Intelligence Agency.

... young Rainhams, and was quite willing to second their stepmother's resolve that they should come into her life as little as possible. Their father had never concerned himself greatly about them. A lazy and selfish man, he had always been willing to shelve the care of his small son and daughter—babies were not in his line, and the aunt who had brought up their mother was only too anxious to take Bob and Cecilia when that girl-mother had slipped away from life, leaving a week-old Cecilia and a ...

— Back To Billabong • Mary Grant Bruce

... and similar remains are to be seen at Avebury, Rollright, and Kit's Coty House, a few miles from Rochester. Also in Shropshire there is a district rich in stone circles and prehistoric remains. This is in a line north of Bishops Castle and Shelve, and to those who appreciate wild scenery this part of the county may ...

— What to See in England • Gordon Home

... said Sir Robert. "Clara, I must trust to you to put this notion out of Anne's head. Why should her dancing days be over? I am not a Methuselah, I hope. She has no right to shelve herself so early, has she? I hope to see her make a ...

— Phoebe, Junior • Mrs [Margaret] Oliphant

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