Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
shelf / ʃelf / noun [ C ] ( plural shelves )
A2 a long, flat board fixed horizontally, usually against a wall or inside a cupboard so that objects can be stored on it:
a glass shelf
on the top/bottom shelf
One wall had shelves from floor to ceiling, crammed with books.
→ See also bookshelf
See picture shelf
specialized a flat area of rock underwater or on a cliff off the shelf If a product can be bought off the shelf, it does not need to be specially made or asked for:
It's often cheaper if you buy wallpaper off the shelf, rather than having to order it.
off-the-shelf goods/clothes
remove sth from your shelves
When a shop removes something from its shelves, that product stops being available for sale there.
© Cambridge University Press 2013
