shell out

verb

shelled out; shelling out; shells out
Synonyms of shell outnext
: pay

Synonyms of shell out

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Examples of shell out in a Sentence

we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Getting there would require Congress to fund the design of the project in 2028 and then continue shelling out cash for waves of construction for more than a decade afterward. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 The Malian cost Brentford just £37million from French club Lens – half the £75m Spurs shelled out for Fernandes and just over a third of Tonali’s fee. — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 But public school budget cuts have meant that teachers are increasingly shelling out their own money in order to supply their classroom. — Sacbee.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Then on August 10, a large container ship paid a staggering $4 million to fast-track its trip — leaving others, either unwilling or unable to shell out that kind of sum, in maritime limbo. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shell out

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shell out was in 1801

Rhymes for shell out

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Browse Nearby Words

shell money
shell out
shell parrakeet
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Cite this Entry

“Shell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shell%20out. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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