Definition of "mothball" [moth•ball]

• A marble-sized ball, originally of camphor but now of naphthalene, stored with clothes to repel moths. (noun)
• A condition of long storage for possible future use: put the battleship into mothballs. (noun)
• A condition of being set aside or discarded: have put the plan into mothballs. (noun)
• To remove (a ship, for example) from active service or use and put into protective storage. (verb-transitive)
• To defer indefinitely; shelve: mothball a project. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""The so-called mothball option is not leadership - I think it kicks the can down the road," he said."
• "Tesco said Tuesday that in November it would "mothball" 13 stores in those areas — six in Nevada, six in Arizona, and one in inland California — by boarding them up or subletting them, with a plan to reopen them in four to five years once the economy there recovers."
• "I would caveat my comment on Savage 99 value by stating that if it is in very good condition or like new, I would definitely "mothball" it for the value aspect."