as in spending
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 shelling out
The Delta Business Traveler program may actually be a good way for new business owners to begin wading their way into the world of business perks without shelling out meaningful cash on annual fees or membership pricing.
—
Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 29 May 2026
Even some of the biggest tech- and AI-focused companies in the world are shelling out million-dollar pay packages for people who can lead communications efforts at a high level.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 28 May 2026
They were supposed to take a big step forward after finally shelling out a bit of money in the offseason.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Even just a percentage-point contrast can mean shelling out hundreds more per month on your mortgage payment.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 4 May 2026
Meta has also been on an aggressive AI spending spree, shelling out more than $72 billion for data centers and other AI infrastructure in 2025.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
While content creators can purchase their own tickets — often shelling out thousands for entry — many are invited by brands, some of which offer to cover airfare, accommodations and passes into the festival.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
An $80 round trip to see the World Cup, in addition to shelling out for tickets is well out of reach.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
However, the only highly visible campaign is that of billionaire Steyer, who’s not only hopping around the state for personal appearances but shelling out millions of his own bucks for television and internet ads.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 29 May 2026
Even some of the biggest tech- and AI-focused companies in the world are shelling out million-dollar pay packages for people who can lead communications efforts at a high level.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 28 May 2026
They were supposed to take a big step forward after finally shelling out a bit of money in the offseason.
—David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Even just a percentage-point contrast can mean shelling out hundreds more per month on your mortgage payment.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 4 May 2026
Meta has also been on an aggressive AI spending spree, shelling out more than $72 billion for data centers and other AI infrastructure in 2025.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
While content creators can purchase their own tickets — often shelling out thousands for entry — many are invited by brands, some of which offer to cover airfare, accommodations and passes into the festival.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
An $80 round trip to see the World Cup, in addition to shelling out for tickets is well out of reach.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
However, the only highly visible campaign is that of billionaire Steyer, who’s not only hopping around the state for personal appearances but shelling out millions of his own bucks for television and internet ads.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelling out
Verb
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After spending some time by the pool, a semi-Olympic lined with emerald and malachite mosaics that glinted in the soft, ambient light, followed by a quick trip to the sauna, I was escorted to my treatment room, about a half-flight of stairs up, where I was met by Marcia, my therapist.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
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These features help give you an idea of your most up-to-date financial status without spending much time manually logging information or allocating every dollar.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Not doing the dishes, not paying the rent, not getting up in the morning is far more enjoyable.—
Erika Landström,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Another standout was Fables, a whimsical, herbaceous drink paying homage to Aesop’s Fables.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Special commando units were also deployed to the location and carried out intelligence-gathering missions and drone operations, the other two sources said, giving Israel a valuable perch from which to see into northern Iran during the war.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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The show is still using some of those songs, giving the score’s relationship to the script a half-in, half-out near-jukebox feeling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shelling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelling%20out. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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