- shelf
- nounADJECTIVE▪ high, low▪ deep▪ bottom, middle, top▪
He took a book down from the top shelf.
▪ bare, empty▪ open▪ dusty▪ glass, metal, wooden▪ book (usually bookshelf), CD, DVD, video▪ bathroom, kitchen, library, shop (BrE), store (esp. AmE), supermarket▪The supermarket shelves were bare.
▪ closet (esp. AmE)VERB + SHELF▪ have▪The cabinet has three shelves.
▪ build, put up▪She soon learned how to put up her own shelves.
▪ arrange sth on, display sth on, put sth (back) on, replace sth on, return sth to, stack sth on▪I put the box back on the shelf.
▪ restock, stack (esp. BrE), stock (AmE)▪He has a job stacking/stocking shelves.
▪ fill, line, pack▪The shelves were packed with dolls of every shape and size.
▪Hundreds of books lined the shelves.
▪ clear▪I've cleared a shelf in the bedroom for you.
▪ get sth (down) from, get sth (down) off, pick sth from, pick sth off, remove sth from, take sth (down) from, take sth (down) off▪They immediately removed the product from their shelves.
▪ fit on, fit onto, go on, remain on, sit on▪Souvenirs filled the shelves.
▪Her diaries just sat on the shelf for years (= nobody looked at them).
▪ browse, scan, scour, search▪She scanned the shelves of the library for new books.
▪ reach▪I can't reach the top shelf.
▪ reach for▪She reached for the shelf next to the bed.
SHELF + VERB▪ be full of sth, contain sth, hold sth▪ line▪Shelves lined the walls behind the long counter.
SHELF + NOUN▪ space▪ life▪The medicine has a shelf life of six months.
PREPOSITION▪ off a/the shelf▪I knocked it off the shelf by accident.
▪ on a/the shelf▪the books on the shelves
▪ shelf of▪a shelf of books on economics
PHRASES▪ be filled with shelves, be lined with shelves▪The walls of her study were lined with shelves.
▪ a place on your shelves▪The book deserves a place on everyone's shelves.
▪ hit the shelves (figurative)▪Their new CD hits the shelves in May.
▪ fly off the shelves (both figurative)▪The DVD is flying off the shelves.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
