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

Fox paid $485 million for the rights to the 2026 World Cup, while Telemundo shelled out $600 million for the Spanish-language telecasts. — Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

The couple had to shell out approximately $4,000 before they were allowed to leave the ship. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

As of late July, Hoban said she's spent about $8,000 so far and will likely shell out roughly $4,000 more for landscaping and decorating. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 20 July 2026

Perhaps its biggest challenge is getting customers to shell out more to fly, something Delta and United zeroed in on years ago. — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 19 July 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