Meaning & use
off-the-shelf
Ready-made and available for immediate purchase or use, rather than custom-built for a specific need.
See it in a sentence
The company chose an off-the-shelf software package instead of building a custom system.
They furnished the office with off-the-shelf desks rather than waiting for a custom order.
A note on using this word
Off-the-shelf is hyphenated when placed before a noun, describing products that require no special modification before use.
Words with a similar meaning
ready-madeprefabricated
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
custom-made
Make it your own
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