Meaning & use
bookshelf
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Meanings
nouncountable
A shelf or set of shelves used for keeping books.
Grammar: Countable: one bookshelf, two bookshelves. The plural is irregular: bookshelves, not bookshelfs.
Patterns
- on a bookshelf
- a bookshelf full of something
- put something on the bookshelf
He lined up his novels neatly on the bookshelf.
The bookshelf in her study is packed with old dictionaries.
A small bookshelf stood beside the window, filled with paperbacks.
nouncountableinformal
A piece of furniture with several shelves for holding books; a bookcase.
Grammar: Countable: a bookshelf, two bookshelves. Often used to mean a whole unit of shelves.
Patterns
- a tall bookshelf
- a wooden bookshelf
- build a bookshelf
They bought a tall bookshelf for the living room.
The bookshelf is made of dark wood and has five shelves.
We need another bookshelf because the books are piling up on the floor.
Word forms
| plural | bookshelves |
|---|
Common combinations
- on the bookshelf
- The photograph is on the bookshelf.
- a bookshelf full of books
- She has a bookshelf full of travel guides.
- a wooden bookshelf
- They built a wooden bookshelf themselves.
- a tall bookshelf
- A tall bookshelf takes up most of the wall.
- put something on the bookshelf
- Please put the dictionary back on the bookshelf.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- bookshelves noun
- The plural form of bookshelf.
- shelf noun
- A flat board used for holding or storing things.
Commonly confused: bookshelf or bookcase?
bookshelf vs bookcase
A bookcase is a piece of furniture with shelves for books; a bookshelf can be just one shelf. People often use bookshelf for the whole piece too.
Practice
She placed the new novel on the ______ next to her bed.
Choose one answer.
Bookshelf fits because it is a shelf for books, and the sentence refers to a specific shelf next to the bed. Bookcase would mean a whole piece of furniture, which is too large for 'next to her bed'; shelf is possible but less precise; bookstore is a shop.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bookshelf”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.