Definition of shelve

• v. t. - To furnish with shelves; as, to shelve a closet or a library.
• v. t. - 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.
• v. i. - To incline gradually; to be slopping; as, the bottom shelves from the shore.