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
Workers can expect to shell out an additional 6% to 7% in premiums, on average, according to Mercer.
—
Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
That’s left Venice as the de facto launching pad for major Oscar contenders from Netflix, an enviable position given that the streamer has continued to shell out big bucks to A-list auteurs in its quest to finally land a best picture statuette.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
And is anyone shelling out upwards of $100 for the ride?
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2025
The study was rather optimistic that the younger generation, who doesn’t shell out for movies (their parents do), prefer watching movies in a theater more than home (59% preferring theater, 24% preferring home), the highest of any other generation — ahead of Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X-ers.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell out
Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
That’s left Venice as the de facto launching pad for major Oscar contenders from Netflix, an enviable position given that the streamer has continued to shell out big bucks to A-list auteurs in its quest to finally land a best picture statuette.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
And is anyone shelling out upwards of $100 for the ride?
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2025
The study was rather optimistic that the younger generation, who doesn’t shell out for movies (their parents do), prefer watching movies in a theater more than home (59% preferring theater, 24% preferring home), the highest of any other generation — ahead of Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X-ers.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell out
Verb
-
Ford dropped it from the Explorer’s retail lineup, but continues to offer it in police vehicles, which benefit from its ability to power AC and other accessories without running the engine when parked, as patrol vehicles often spend lots of time doing.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
California’s legal fight to get those funds back–which hadn’t been spent–will take months if not years to resolve.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Social media companies and influencers paid to promote pharmaceutical offerings without proper disclosures will also be targeted by the federal government, according to CNBC, which cited unnamed senior officials.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The backslide is worse for Black women, who in 2024 were paid 65 cents for every dollar paid to White men.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, Barrett stressed the importance of collegiality among the justices on the nation’s highest court and how her law clerks weed through the bevy of amicus briefs the court receives, only passing along to her those that lay out legal arguments rather than policy ones.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Crevoiserat will define the new market and lay out the company’s three-year strategic plan at an investor meeting Wednesday.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell%20out. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share