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

Then on August 10, a large container ship paid a staggering $4 million to fast-track its trip — leaving others, either unwilling or unable to shell out that kind of sum, in maritime limbo. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Tech’s hyperscalers are shelling out hundreds of billions of dollars this year on capital expenditures to fuel data center develop and purchase the graphics processing units needed to fill them. — Kate Rooney, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026

But the Dodgers are the greatest show in baseball, playing before stadiums packed with fans willing to shell out top dollar to see a roster that includes international superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Jump ahead to summer 2027, however, and couples are asked to shell out £3,258 a week, equivalent to $4,410. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 19 Aug. 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