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off-the-shelf
[ awf-thuh-shelf, of- ]
adjective
- readily available from merchandise in stock.
- made according to a standardized format; not developed for specialized or individual needs; ready-made:
off-the-shelf computer programs.
off the shelf
adverb
- from stock and readily available
you can have this model off the shelf
adjective
- of or relating to a product that is readily available
an off-the-shelf model
- of or denoting a company that has been registered with the Registrar of Companies for the sole purpose of being sold
Word History and Origins
Origin of off-the-shelf1
Idioms and Phrases
Ready-made, available from merchandise or in stock, as opposed to a special order. For example, Sometimes you can get a better discount by buying an appliance off the shelf . [First half of 1900s] Also see off the rack ; on the shelf .Example Sentences
And the company says that most of the parts are off-the-shelf, not custom-built—which helps keep costs down.
Off-the-shelf versions like the one Kate purchased go for £295—roughly $500.
Genes are not simple off-the-shelf parts with one expression.
He looked nothing at all like the young men we see in the take-'em-off-the-shelf clothing ads.
The robots were easy enough—just off-the-shelf stuff, really—but the costumes and kinematics routines were something else.
He knew where you could get plans for the robotics, and off-the-shelf motors and sensors.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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