SHELLS Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

shells 1 of 2

noun

plural of shell

as in sheaths

something that encloses another thing especially to protect it eating oysters straight out of their shells

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Relevance

as in structures

the arrangement of parts that gives something its basic form workers at the shipyard have thus far erected the shell of the ship

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as in exteriors

an outer part or layer the shell of the building is all glass, making it conspicuous on a street with mostly limestone facades

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shells

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shell

as in peels

to remove the natural covering of shelling peanuts

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as in bombs

to use bombs or artillery against the enemy shelled the city for days without letup

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shells

Noun

Kelsey passes around a bowl of clam shells with questions written on them as Liz gnaws on a corn on the cob. —

Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 June 2026 The madeleines are baked to order in actual scallop shells, and served with a side of jam. —

Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 Sprouting watermelon seeds, a process where fresh seeds soak and then naturally shed their black shells, is also a popular way to use the seeds. —

Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 13 June 2026 Bigger display fireworks, such as salutes that contain two grains – 130 milligrams – of explosive materials and professional-grade aerial shells with more than 60 grams of pyrotechnic compositions, can't be purchased for recreational use. —

Finch Walker, USA Today, 12 June 2026 Archaeologists have been cataloging dump sites since at least the early 19th century, when Danish scientists began pawing through heaps of mollusk shells that had been discarded by their Stone Age ancestors. —

Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026 Ending the night on a whimsical note, a small box with a happy scene of pastel clouds and a hot air balloon etched in iridescent shells arrives. —

Lanee Lee, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 What began as a quiet evening quickly turned frightening after the couple climbed onto the jetty rocks to look for shells and crabs. —

Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026 So do the large pink or queen conch, the fighting conch, the tulip band shell, the helmet shells and the cask shells. —

Literary Hub, 8 June 2026

Verb

During the drive, a tank shells the car, killing most of the occupants. —

E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shells

Noun

Opt for bigger hanging bulbs, discrete flickers, or even hanging sheaths.

— Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
The payload was designed to test a hypersonic navigation system capable of accurately identifying spacecraft position, even when communications are blocked by intense plasma sheaths during hypersonic flight.

— Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 1 Apr. 2026