1
as in sheaths
something that encloses another thing especially to protect it
eating oysters straight out of their shells
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in structures
the arrangement of parts that gives something its basic form
workers at the shipyard have thus far erected the shell of the ship
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in exteriors
an outer part or layer
the shell of the building is all glass, making it conspicuous on a street with mostly limestone facades
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shells
Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
Launching at the end of the month, the capsule collection will include two styles of sandals embellished with beads and shells and matching necklaces, available to purchase separately.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Yet scientists realized that something has been dissolving those calcite shells and releasing carbon dioxide, reducing the ocean’s carbon-trapping capacity.
—Damien Pine, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
The restoration effort starts long before the shells ever make it into the field.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Savor the island’s best cuisine at Il Principe e il Pirata and try a bacio pantesco, a local dessert consisting of creamy ricotta sandwiched between two crispy shells.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2026
Fish darted among the corals that swayed with the currents; shells rested on the sandy bottom.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Buying sunflower seeds and walnuts with the shells on can also help encourage portion management.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 13 May 2026
Wait until the last minute to add the toppings so the shells stay crisp.
—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 May 2026
E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
Noun
Those who make the quick journey are rewarded by three miles of pristine shoreline covered with shells, including calico scallops, sand dollars, moon snail shells, and lightning whelks.
—Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
Launching at the end of the month, the capsule collection will include two styles of sandals embellished with beads and shells and matching necklaces, available to purchase separately.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Yet scientists realized that something has been dissolving those calcite shells and releasing carbon dioxide, reducing the ocean’s carbon-trapping capacity.
—Damien Pine, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
The restoration effort starts long before the shells ever make it into the field.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Savor the island’s best cuisine at Il Principe e il Pirata and try a bacio pantesco, a local dessert consisting of creamy ricotta sandwiched between two crispy shells.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2026
Fish darted among the corals that swayed with the currents; shells rested on the sandy bottom.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Buying sunflower seeds and walnuts with the shells on can also help encourage portion management.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 13 May 2026
Wait until the last minute to add the toppings so the shells stay crisp.
—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 May 2026
Verb
During the drive, a tank shells the car, killing most of the occupants.
—E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shells
Noun
-
Opt for bigger hanging bulbs, discrete flickers, or even hanging sheaths.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The payload was designed to test a hypersonic navigation system capable of accurately identifying spacecraft position, even when communications are blocked by intense plasma sheaths during hypersonic flight.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Walking across shiny, immaculately clean floors into the still room, a tour leads visitors to a room with the immense structures the Bakers use to make their special brand of whiskey.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
And although the new addition containing the guest rooms sticks out quite a bit, the original brick structures have been carefully preserved.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Researchers said large office towers with glass exteriors could eventually offset part of their electricity demand using the technology.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
-
Designer Frank Woll took the helm on the exteriors, creating a steel-and-aluminum structure with fluid lines, inspired by the sea itself.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Blending sharp humor, irreverent games and unexpected twists, each episode peels back the polished layers of today’s most talked about talent to reveal the human behind the fame… and no topic is off-limits.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Each new burst of observation, each refined model, peels back another layer, showing us just how dynamic and surprising the life of a star can be.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
The United States bombs Iran's nuclear facilities days later.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Page Six gets a Hollywood edition Papps declined last week to reveal what stories his reporters were chasing and what bombs the political columnists will throw in its first editions.—
Christopher Weber,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Power said members of the Detective Division responded to the scene and found several bullet holes on the outside of the building as well as several expended shell casings in the parking lot.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 May 2026
-
Small said investigators found at least six spent shell casings on the 1200 block of North 42nd Street from a semi-automatic weapon or weapons.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The cast also includes Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth and Tara Sutaria in what Yash describes as roles built around power dynamics that extend beyond conventional gender frameworks.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 May 2026
-
The governance, audit, and insurance frameworks enterprises rely on were written for a world where a human approved every transaction.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
So those platforms repaved most of the internet into surfaces that could host video ads, then incentivized users and publishers to roll their cameras.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
For a decade, surfaces of materials were the bane of my existence.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shells. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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