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
In the months leading up to the April 1 election, Dodge and his political committees shelled out nearly $190,000, according to state campaign finance reports.
—
Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce spending, projects consumers will shell out $23.8 billion online from Tuesday to Friday — up $9.6 billion from last year’s summer sales.
—Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 7 July 2025
Afternoon tea is huge in Tokyo, with diners shelling out nearly 90 billion yen each year to nibble scones and petit-fours.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2025
Money for Alligator Alcatraz is set to come from FEMA, but the agency hasn’t shelled out a dime yet.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell out
Mike Nolan, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce spending, projects consumers will shell out $23.8 billion online from Tuesday to Friday — up $9.6 billion from last year’s summer sales.
—Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 7 July 2025
Afternoon tea is huge in Tokyo, with diners shelling out nearly 90 billion yen each year to nibble scones and petit-fours.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2025
Money for Alligator Alcatraz is set to come from FEMA, but the agency hasn’t shelled out a dime yet.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell out
Verb
-
Soliman spent about four years at Cincinnati Children's, first arriving in the United States in 2014 after being persecuted in his native Egypt for work in support of freelance journalists.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
The Enquirer,
25 July 2025
-
Pyne spent 15 seasons there as a firefighter, some of them living in an old cabin built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.—
Tom Zoellner,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
Three practices are paid entry for visitors ages 4 and older: July 27, Aug. 2 and Aug. 3.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
20 July 2025
-
The work is being paid for by a nonprofit that also funded work at the Washington Monument.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
But a new report from the Atlantic Council lays out the stark choice facing the White House: double down on pressure — or try something new.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 July 2025
-
Officers eventually laid out spike strips and flattened tires on the fleeing vehicle.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell%20out. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share