mothball

音標(biāo)發(fā)音

The decision to mothball the shuttle fleet has not come without criticism, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden noted.
美國(guó)宇航局局長(zhǎng)Charles Bolden提到，將航天飛機(jī)封存的舉動(dòng)并非沒(méi)有批評(píng)。
When demand for labour falls, firms want to hang on to them, just as they might mothball an expensive piece of machinery.
當(dāng)勞動(dòng)力需求降低時(shí)，公司希望像封存昂貴機(jī)械那樣留住這些員工。
Moreover, since nuclear plants are cheap to operate but expensive to mothball, they are often run at full tilt even when demand for power slackens.
此外，由于運(yùn)營(yíng)費(fèi)用低廉但封存花費(fèi)甚巨，即便在核能需求增長(zhǎng)放緩之際，核電廠通常還是會(huì)全力運(yùn)行。

She hid in the back of closets where mothball gas brought tears to her eyes.
NEWYORKER: Ziggurat
It is also hard for airlines to mothball planes they are still paying for.
ECONOMIST: Airlines in the recession
The Georgetown factory was able to mothball one of its three painting booths, saving energy and upkeep costs.
FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas

a small, white ball containing a chemical with a strong smell that keeps moths away from clothes
to stop work on an idea, plan, or job, but leaving it in such a way that you can start on it again at some point in the future

A mothball is a small ball made of a special chemical, which you can put among clothes or blankets in order to keep moths away.
If someone in authority mothballs a plan, factory, or piece of equipment, they decide to stop developing or using it, perhaps temporarily. ...