as in paid
to hand over or use up in payment
we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets
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Recent Examples of shelled out
Kalshi shelled out at least $1 million on lobbying last year—a record for the eight-year-old company.
—
Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Payton said multiple times around the season’s end that Denver had too many drops in the passing game, but the Broncos haven’t shelled out in an inflated receiver market to fix that.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Even though Diane Bricker doesn’t live in her Ocean City, New Jersey, condo during the winter, the retiree shelled out $698 last month for electricity to keep the heat at 55 degrees and to power the refrigerator.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
Then the company shelled out $35 million on the theatrical marketing spend, an unprecedented sum considering documentaries aren’t traditionally a driver of big box office dollars.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
His organization has shelled out over $1 billion in aid to Ukraine, as well as large sums for agricultural development in Africa, and Central and South America.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Hyperscalers Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft have shelled out billions on AI products, tools and infrastructure for their customers.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Payton said multiple times around the season’s end that Denver had too many drops in the passing game, but the Broncos haven’t shelled out in an inflated receiver market to fix that.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Even though Diane Bricker doesn’t live in her Ocean City, New Jersey, condo during the winter, the retiree shelled out $698 last month for electricity to keep the heat at 55 degrees and to power the refrigerator.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
Then the company shelled out $35 million on the theatrical marketing spend, an unprecedented sum considering documentaries aren’t traditionally a driver of big box office dollars.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
His organization has shelled out over $1 billion in aid to Ukraine, as well as large sums for agricultural development in Africa, and Central and South America.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Hyperscalers Amazon, Meta Platforms and Microsoft have shelled out billions on AI products, tools and infrastructure for their customers.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelled out
Verb
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An earnings tax is a tax paid on income earned by a person, like salaries, wages, tips and investments.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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Athletes have largely won the freedom to transfer almost at will via the portal along with the ability to be paid by schools that are now doling out more than $20 million a year to their athletes.—
Mark Long,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Del Río collaborates with the National Institute of Anthropology and History and has spent three decades exploring the cenotes.—
Ryan Brennan
April 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
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Freshman Blanca Quinonez, who helped carry the team through poor offensive performances in the Fort Worth regional, spent most of the game on the bench due to foul trouble and finished with just five points and two turnovers.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shelled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelled%20out. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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