as in paid
to hand over or use up in payment
we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets
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Recent Examples of shelled out
Around the same time Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco announced their engagement in December 2024, the couple quietly shelled out $35 million for a sprawling Spanish-style estate in a prime pocket of Beverly Hills that was once owned by Joker and The Hangover director Todd Phillips.
—
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 5 May 2026
Mark Davis paid $2 million for Vegas, while the group led by Larry Gottesdiener shelled out $5 million.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 1 May 2026
In recent months, OpenAI and hyperscaler peers have shelled out billions to fund datacenters to meet ballooning compute demand.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026
Control of the action series was a major reason why the company shelled out more than $8 billion to buy MGM Studios in 2022.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Jenner said that Hutchins planned to repay her prior to her untimely death and had already shelled out $75,000 toward her legal fees.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Payton said multiple times around the season’s end that Denver had too many drops in the passing game, but the Broncos haven’t shelled out in an inflated receiver market to fix that.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Even though Diane Bricker doesn’t live in her Ocean City, New Jersey, condo during the winter, the retiree shelled out $698 last month for electricity to keep the heat at 55 degrees and to power the refrigerator.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 5 May 2026
Mark Davis paid $2 million for Vegas, while the group led by Larry Gottesdiener shelled out $5 million.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 1 May 2026
In recent months, OpenAI and hyperscaler peers have shelled out billions to fund datacenters to meet ballooning compute demand.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026
Control of the action series was a major reason why the company shelled out more than $8 billion to buy MGM Studios in 2022.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Jenner said that Hutchins planned to repay her prior to her untimely death and had already shelled out $75,000 toward her legal fees.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Payton said multiple times around the season’s end that Denver had too many drops in the passing game, but the Broncos haven’t shelled out in an inflated receiver market to fix that.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Even though Diane Bricker doesn’t live in her Ocean City, New Jersey, condo during the winter, the retiree shelled out $698 last month for electricity to keep the heat at 55 degrees and to power the refrigerator.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelled out
Verb
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After the closure was announced, every single late-night-show host paid their respects to an accidental muse of Americana.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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The state paid $13 million in cash for Waterbury and assumed $22 million in liabilities.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The Tribune spent several days exploring these dying malls, talking to their visitors and walking back through time.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Clark spent six weeks at the beginning of this school year setting up and practicing classroom routines and procedures with her students.—
Stacker,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shelled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelled%20out. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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