Meaning & use

mantelpiece

noun·Everyday

A shelf above a fireplace, often used to display photographs, clocks, or ornaments.

See it in a sentence

She arranged the family photographs neatly along the wooden mantelpiece above the fire.

A row of stockings hung from the mantelpiece on Christmas Eve last year.

A note on using this word

Mantelpiece refers to the shelf itself, while 'mantel' can refer to the whole structure framing the fireplace.

Words with a similar meaning

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