as in to spend
to hand over or use up in payment
we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 shell out
But electronics are hardly the reason someone would shell out $500,000 on this motorcycle.
—
New Atlas, 8 May 2026
They were supposed to take a big step forward after finally shelling out a bit of money in the offseason.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
And with First American, prepare to shell out anywhere from $35 to $70 a month.
—Jamela Adam, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Around the same time Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco announced their engagement in December 2024, the couple quietly shelled out $35 million for a sprawling Spanish-style estate in a prime pocket of Beverly Hills that was once owned by Joker and The Hangover director Todd Phillips.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shell out
New Atlas, 8 May 2026
They were supposed to take a big step forward after finally shelling out a bit of money in the offseason.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
And with First American, prepare to shell out anywhere from $35 to $70 a month.
—Jamela Adam, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Around the same time Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco announced their engagement in December 2024, the couple quietly shelled out $35 million for a sprawling Spanish-style estate in a prime pocket of Beverly Hills that was once owned by Joker and The Hangover director Todd Phillips.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shell out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell out
Verb
-
The neighborhood It’d be easy to spend a week around Nay Palad’s beachfront area, alternating between dips in the pool, reading books in a hammock, and tours around the gin-clear water in a see-through kayak—but on-the-up Siargao is well worth exploring.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
-
What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The parliamentarian kept most of the immigration portion of the legislation intact, though some minor provisions were blocked, including Customs and Border Patrol funds to hire, train and pay Border Patrol agents.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
The court also ordered them to pay Djena nearly three hundred thousand dollars in restitution.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Ahead, experts lay out the process for us.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
1 May 2026
-
Defense filings in the New York case lay out Dukes’ path into the music industry.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
