SHELLS OUT Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

shells out

verb

present tense third-person singular of shell out

as in spends

to hand over or use up in payment we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets

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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.

Recent Examples of shells out As guests don waders and walk into the shallow bay to the floating baskets where Navy Cove cultivates its bivalves, co-owner Eric Bradley shells out oyster-farming facts. — Jennifer Stewart Kornegay, Southern Living, 30 May 2026 For hundreds less than competing flip phones, Motorola shells out a heavy dose of bendable fun. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026 Google already shells out billions to Apple each year to be the default search engine on iPhones. — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shells out

Verb

Gray is central to the investment calls Blackstone makes, and spends his weekends reading memos on potential deals in preparation for his weekly investment committee meetings.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Our roads get a D+ by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which found Colorado spends 35% more on car repairs than the national average.

— Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of spends

Verb

The government created a national preventive care program decades ago and gave every citizen a right to regular checkups, which gave clinics a reason to buy expensive machines, which brought the volume that pays for the expensive machines.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The Avon Historical Society pays the liability for the inside of the building and the structural repairs, like the roof, are the town’s responsibility.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of pays

Verb

The delicate shape still nods to classic ballet flats, but the slight heel gives everything a little more polish, making the pairing feel less Sunday lunch with your nan and more Copenhagen Fashion Week.

— Georgia Brown, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2026
The deal gives the United States 55% effective output of the new private company, including an ownership stake and rights to buy oil at cost.

— Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of gives

Browse Nearby Words

shell-shocked

shells out

shelter

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“Shells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shells%20out. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shells out

verb

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