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
Four-plus years later, the Nationals stood MLB on its head again, shelling out $210 million over seven years for Max Scherzer in early 2015.
—
David Aldridge, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The news raised questions over the significant sums that American tech companies are shelling out on AI.
—Ashley Capoot,samantha Subin, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
Both of these should be included when shelling out that kind of cash, in my opinion.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2025
On average, families are now shelling out $774 per child for back-to-school gear — marking a 10% rise from last year’s spending.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 15 Sep. 2025
On average, families are now shelling out $774 per child for back-to-school gear — marking a 10% rise from last year’s spending.
—Erin Jones, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
And is anyone shelling out upwards of $100 for the ride?
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2025
Powe still comes by once a week to drop off snacks for kids in the hotel — chips, cookies, jerky, fruit snacks, Little Debbie’s, whatever is on sale — shelling out about $100 or more of her own money every week doing so.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
Despite extra caution, parents are still shelling out for the new school year.
—Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2025
David Aldridge, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The news raised questions over the significant sums that American tech companies are shelling out on AI.
—Ashley Capoot,samantha Subin, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
Both of these should be included when shelling out that kind of cash, in my opinion.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2025
On average, families are now shelling out $774 per child for back-to-school gear — marking a 10% rise from last year’s spending.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 15 Sep. 2025
On average, families are now shelling out $774 per child for back-to-school gear — marking a 10% rise from last year’s spending.
—Erin Jones, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
And is anyone shelling out upwards of $100 for the ride?
—Carolina Abbott Galvão, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2025
Powe still comes by once a week to drop off snacks for kids in the hotel — chips, cookies, jerky, fruit snacks, Little Debbie’s, whatever is on sale — shelling out about $100 or more of her own money every week doing so.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
Despite extra caution, parents are still shelling out for the new school year.
—Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelling out
Verb
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This summer’s transfer window was a record-setting one, with Premier League teams spending more than £3billion — seven of the 20 clubs paid the highest fee in their history — as the division outspent Europe’s other four major leagues combined.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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In 2024, Detroit Free Press' Georgea Kovanis shared her experiences spending a year, along with photographer Mandi Wright, with Amanda, a woman addicted to drugs who is helping others like her, distributing harm reduction items that have saved lives.—
Detroit Free Press staff,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The investigation also showed settlement agreements ALDOT had signed with some residents soon after flooding concerns arose, paying each homeowner up to $5,000.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
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The bank’s investigation revealed that Javice had enlisted the help of a data science professor, paying him $18,000 to create fake customer data.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ross is also taller, giving officers more viewing coverage above crowds than Walking Horses, which can be as short as 14 hands, or 4 feet, 9 inches tall.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
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Free friendship bracelets at Insomnia Cookies Meanwhile, Insomnia Cookies is giving customers free friendship bracelets for the day.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shelling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelling%20out. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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