shell out

verb

shelled out; shelling out; shells out

: pay

Synonyms of shell out

• spend
• pay
• lay out

Examples of shell out in a Sentence

we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets

Recent Examples on the Web

The city of Los Angeles has shelled out nearly $480 million over the last seven and a half years to end legal disputes involving the LAPD, according to a Times analysis. — Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

There's no denying that Netflix is willing to shell out the cash for A-list talent, and this week's offerings are proof of that. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Gen Z reported the highest average expenditure on fine art in 2025 and 2026, shelling out more than twice the amount of any older generation surveyed. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

That would be a strong result had Amazon MGM Studios not shelled out $40 million to buy the film and tens of millions more to market it. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shell out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout